BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA

Discourses at
Sai Sruti, Kodaikanal during April 1996

compiled by
devotees in Halifax, Canada.

(c) 1997 Pooja Kapahi (b.1946-)

This book may be reproduced in part or in full for personal or group
study use, but no reproduction in any form is authorized for
commercial purposes.

First edition. First printing - 1000 copies

ISBN 81-86822-20-8

Published by:

Sri Sathya Sai Towers Hotels Pvt Ltd.
P.O. Box No.2, Main Road
Prasanthi Nilayam - 515 134, INDIA
Phone : 91-8555-87270, 87327, 87329, 87368
Fax : 91-8555-87302
Email: saitower@giasbg01.vsnl.net.in

Printed by:
D.K. Fine Arts Press (P) Ltd.
New Delhi-110 052



CONTENTS

   Foreword                                         iii
1.  Purify the mind to realize Divine Bliss         1
2.  All the world is a stage                        11
3.  Sadhana                                         19
4.  Purusha and prakriti                            26
5.  True devotion versus attachment to the world    35
6.  Have good thoughts, good action and good        44
    Company to realize God
7.  Keep sacred thoughts and actions to realize     52
    the Atma
8.  Devotion, sacrifice and surrender               61
9.  The name of God is "I"                          70
10. Avail yourself of this rare chance to be saved  78
11. Secular and spiritual knowledge                 86
12. Yoga                                            93
13. God is permanent, the world is temporary       100
14. Sthree (woman)                                 107
15. The Creator and the Creation                   117
16. Attain immortality through sacrifice and       121
    desirelessness
17. Sacrifice and wisdom are both needed to reach  132
    Divinity
18. Truth, the foundation of life                  137
19. Devotion is the easiest path to God            144
20. The Divinity is attained through detachment    152
21. To realize union with the Divine fill yourself 159
    with Divine Love
22. Develop Love and surrender to realize freedom  166
23. The Living Presence of God                     173
    Glossary                                       183



FOREWORD

We are happy to present to the readers this series of twenty-
three Divine Discourses delivered by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu State, India.

Many devotees of Bhagavan Baba residing both in Halifax,
Canada and in other places, contributed time and effort to do
selfless service not only directly as a service to their Master,
Bhagavan Baba, but also to provide an opportunity for these fresh
and fragrant words of Love and Wisdom to be available for
seekers of Truth everywhere to morally and spiritually uplift
themselves.

These Discourses were drawn from notes taken by Maduri
Kara (Whitefield, India), and Gunjan Sahni (Ottawa,
Canada), and the Tamil edition of the 1996 Discourses for the use
of which we are very grateful.

Most of the computer processing to prepare the camera-ready
copy was carried out by Tilak and Risini Gunawardhane, Swarna
Weerasinghe and Krishangi Malawiarachchi, with the help of
Amiya Khara.

The editing of the drafts was carried out by Neetha Weeratna,
Pooja Kapahi and V.R.N. Sastry, and Saroj Sivapiragasam.

This project was initiated and coordinated by Pooja Kapahi
after obtaining Bhagavan Baba's Blessing. On March 18, 1997,
in His Whitefield ashram Baba placed His palm atop the final
draft copy in blessing and told me to print it.

Pooja Kapahi
March, 1997


        1

PURIFY THE MIND TO REALIZE DIVINE BLISS

Embodiments of Divine Love,

All names and forms are of the Divine. Every person is an
embodiment of the Divine. The human body has been gifted in
order to know the Divine.

Everyone wants peace, bliss and happiness; nobody wants
misery, worries and problems. What is the nature of real
happiness? Man has to make an effort to understand what true
happiness is. If you ask anyone he would reply that it is
freedom from troubles and anxieties. Sensual pleasure is not
true happiness even though man considers it to be so. Sensual
pleasure indulged in by man makes him equivalent to a beast
and upon examination of the sensual pleasures, one can see that
their duration is momentary. The ancient rishis prayed and
asked to be shown whether it is worldly pleasures or proximity
to the Lord that gives true happiness and discovered that the
Divine gives true eternal Bliss.

At one time, Germany defeated France in the Second
World War. The French Chief Marshal stated that his country
had been defeated because of the excessive sensual pleasures of
the people. Since that time they have encouraged control of the
senses.

True happiness comes from firm faith in the Divine and the
full blossoming of body, mind and intellect. We should not
allow our body, mind and intellect to take the wrong path.

Above and more subtle than the body is the mind, and above
and more subtle than the thinking mind is the intellect. The
intellect is the leader of the body and the mind, and the Master
of all these three is the Atma or Spirit. We say "This is my
body, my mind, my intellect." But who am I? The Master
should see that the instruments are put to proper use so that
true happiness which is union with God can be realized. Union
with the senses brings about misery.

What is the nature of creation? God's Will transmits into
creation. Everyone should have devotion to God, the Creator,
so their will would be in harmony with His Will. Sita means
the daughter of Mother Earth as well as all Divine qualities
such as sacrifice, compassion, mercy, grace, and the Peace that
is within one. In the world wherever one looks, one sees only
pieces (diversity) but not Peace. Sita (see the Epic Ramayana)
was always with Rama. As you are embodiments of Truth,
Peace and Love (Rama), there is no need to search for Peace
outside.

Napoleon had some spiritual development. In order to
conquer the remaining countries during the war, he had to first
conquer his sleep and hunger. He trained himself to sleep and
wake at any appointed time. Once when Napoleon was
wounded with arrows in the war, and the doctors wished to
operate, he refused saying that he would first meditate. He
allowed the doctors to remove the arrows only during
meditation in the evening without an anesthetic. Napoleon had
full control over his mind and thus was able to transcend it.

For the body, one's mind is the master; for the mind, one's
intellect is the master; for the intellect, Atma is the Master. So
the Master of life is the Atma. If we merge the intellect in God,
all the senses would be subjugated. Mahatma Gandhi prayed
that all should have a good intellect- "Sab ko sanmati do
Bhagavan." A purified intellect reflecting the Atmic light
confers true wisdom. When the intellect is full of God,
naturally one will follow the correct path and experience Peace
and Bliss. If the mind follows the senses, one is ruined.

Follow the Master;
Fight to the end;

Face the Devil;
Finish the game.

Who is the Master? Your conscience is the Master, so follow
the conscience. To face the devil means to avoid bad company,
thoughts and actions. To fight to the end means to work to
subdue the unruly senses. Say, "O bad senses, don't go there,
go only toward God; eyes, see only God; ears, listen only to
God's glories, etc."

See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil; hear what is good.
Think no evil; think what is good.
Talk no evil; talk what is good.
Do no evil: do what is good.
This is the way to God.

The word "good" has two zeros. One zero stands for the
world. If you remove this one zero (the world), only God will
remain. So see good, do good, and be good to merge with God.

Direct all of your actions toward God. In Christianity it is said,
"All are One, be alike to everyone."

If you declare that your body belongs to you, then why
can't you control it? If you cannot then the body. must not
belong to you. How can you offer to God your mind which is
also not under your control? If your body is paralysed why
can't you make it move? If your body was truly under your
control, then surely you would be able to make it move. Take
the example of this handkerchief. If you hold it tightly, then it
is in your grip. If you drop it, it is out of your control.

Buddhi (subtle intellect) has the power of discrimination.
Discrimination is of two types: individual and fundamental.
Fundamental discrimination has a universal nature as that
indicated in the prayer "Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu"
(May all the worlds be happy). Individual discrimination is only
individually inclined; one thinks only of 'my body, my friend,
my relative, etc. Individual discrimination is very limited,
narrow, selfish, and represents untruth, whereas fundamental
discrimination is based on Truth. The intellect should follow
the path of fundamental discrimination having feelings of good
will to all in order to reach God or oneness.

One's so called individual Atma is identical to everyone
else's Atma. There are many tube lights here in this room, but
the current flowing through them all is only 'One'. All of our
bodies can be compared to light bulbs. The capacities of each
body or bulb may be different, but the Spirit or Atma is only
One in all of them. "Eka Prabhu Eka Naam " means there is
only one God; so one Divinity is present in all.

One should always be charitable. The culture of Bharat
(India) teaches giving and sacrifice. We must always
discriminate what and how much we should give. Discriminate
when you see the beggar on the street with his hand
outstretched for money. Give him clothes or food but do not
give him money because he may misuse the money to buy
alcohol and cause fights. Your money would have been wasted,
unity destroyed, and would be responsible for these problems.
Encourage the needy to find employment and to develop unity
as one's body has been given to do work. If, however, you see
a handicapped person whom you can help through giving
money, charity should be given with full knowledge of the
consequences to avoid harm. "Help ever, hurt never," and in
every aspect discriminate carefully.

Spiritual aspirants should not move about here and there
but should keep the body still and spend time concentrating in
solitude to experience Bliss. Bliss which comes through the
experience of the unity of the Atma will redeem your life. Here
is a handkerchief consisting of numerous threads. The unity of
the woven threads gives the cloth its strength. Likewise, the
unity of the body, mind, intellect and senses will confer
strength and power.

Swadharma is the true dharma. Dharma is not only that
which is related to a religion or faith. 'Swa' means Self or
Atma. Dharma means conscience or witness. Sath and Chit
mean eternal, total Being and Awareness, not fragmentary
knowledge. Being or Sath may be compared to pure sugar
which is always sweet; Chit to the pure water which goes on
changing (moving, flowing). If you mix them you get syrup

which may be compared to Bliss or Ananda. This is not the
Bliss found in the material world. The material world can give
you only impermanent happiness, not Bliss.

There are five types of knowledge to be found in the
world. The first is bookish knowledge, the second superficial
knowledge, the third general knowledge, the fourth
discriminatory knowledge, and the fifth practical knowledge.
Worldly happiness is termed santosha, which means only some
happiness. For example, when you are hungry you eat two
chapatis and after two hours you are again hungry; so the
happiness you derived from eating was only temporary. The
head has responsibilities; it is not a source of Bliss. Ananda
(Bliss) comes only from the heart and is permanent. The
highest goal of life lies in deriving happiness from the heart.
The word for heart is hrudaya meaning heart (hru) and
compassion (daya).

The proper study of mankind is man. Kindness should
grow and fully blossom from man's heart. God has the quality
of attraction and attracts to Himself whatever is good. Gold has
value and attracts but brass does not attract. Iron alone attracts
the magnet because of its relationship with the magnet. The
magnet can be compared to Paramatma (Supreme Soul) and
iron can be compared to the individual soul. The attraction
between them is due to the unity of the individual soul and
God. God is one. We should understand our own Divine nature.
Sometimes when the magnet is unable to attract the iron many
ignorant people may say that the magnet has no power. But this
lack of attraction is due to the dust and rust accumulated on the
iron. Similarly, bad company, bad talk, bad deeds are like dust

and cause rust and do not attract Grace. God gives tests and
punishes as well. We must welcome and pass a series of tests
as they are the means for promotion. In order to pass
examinations, one has to prepare for tests. Today from first
class to tenth class there are no tests. Unfortunately today we
don't want any tests due to laziness. Even if one wishes to
apply for a job as a clerk he must have an interview. One
should face with fortitude all tests in life.

Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is Love, enjoy it.

We are lucky to have this life; to be born a human being
is very sacred. Make use of life in a sacred way after purifying
the heart and eradicating anger. Lack of control over anger
ruins discrimination and causes one to do wrong things. Anger
is an animal quality not a human quality. When you become
angry, go to a quiet place and repeat, "I am not a dog, I am a
man." When confusion comes, repeat, "I am a man, not a
monkey" ten times. Many people cheat, then repeat, "I am not
a cheater, I am man"; "I am not a jackal, I am a man." The
foreigners who have come here are all good devotees, but have
a few weaknesses. They spend a lot of money on unnecessary
things, have too many associations and do too much visiting
from house to house.

The body may be compared to a house, the senses to
windows, and the mouth the main door; keep it clean and

sacred. Let the animal qualities go out; don't allow them into
the residence. Don't follow other people, seeking sensual
pleasures, but instead follow God. Unfortunately, we welcome
bad qualities, and do not follow God's commands. When
chanting Rama, as we say 'Ra' we open the mouth and bad
qualities should go out and when we say 'm', God should enter
to remain permanently. Why visit palm readers on the street
who tell others' futures when they cannot tell their own.
Devotees should use common sense. What is devotion? It is
pure Love. Devotion to God develops from pure Love. Love
between a husband and wife is attachment. Spiritual Love
comes and grows whereas worldly love comes and goes. So
follow God's commands until the end.

Once there was a young cowherd boy named Madhukar.
One day as he was grazing his cows beside a river, he saw a
brahmin repeating, "Om Narayana Namaha" while doing
pranayama in order to control his mind. After some time the
boy went up to him and asked him what he was doing. The
brahmin explained that when one utters "Soham," he is
declaring, "I am God." "So" (God) is uttered during inhalation
and "ham " (I am) is uttered during exhalation. This is done in
order to control the mind. The boy had full faith in the brahmin
and because he wanted to experience God he immediately put
into practice the teaching. He put the cows on one side and sat
down to begin pranayama (breathing exercises). He wondered,
"How does God really look? In paintings I have seen Lord
Shiva on a bull, and Lord Vishnu on an eagle."

The boy had full faith in the words of the brahmin and
began repeating the mantra, "Soham." He was ready to shed

even his body for God. Where there is steady faith, there is
success. One should care only for God. As the boy had this
attitude, Narayana manifested Himself. The boy asked Him,
"Who are You?" He replied, "I am Vishnu." The boy said, "I
am not certain as I have never seen You before. I'll ask the
brahmin to come to identify You." This boy was very innocent.
He feared that Vishnu might run away so he tied Him up and
went to fetch the brahmin. The Lord was very pleased with this
boy's devotion. However the brahmin could not believe the
boy's story as he doubted how Vishnu could appear to a mere
boy. The brahmin's faith was artificial whereas the boy's was
heartful. Both went to the spot where Vishnu was tied up
whereupon the boy exclaimed, "See, there He is." Unfortunately
only the boy could see Lord Vishnu, not the brahmin. The boy
asked Vishnu, "Why can he not see the Lord?" The Lord
replied that the brahmin's inability to see was due to his
polluted mind and impure heart. The boy then requested the
Lord, "At least for my sake, appear to the brahmin. " As God
was pleased with his selfless attitude. He also manifested to the
brahmin. This story illustrates the role of the Gum to show the
way to God, and the effort of the devotee to develop faith and
devotion.

In the culture of Bharat, the sacred axioms are:
Matru devo bhava. The mother is God.
Pitru devo bhava. The father is God.
Acharya devo bhava. The guru is God.

Mother, father and preceptor or teacher are the physical forms
of God for us. We say that we have come from our parents, but
this is not correct. We have come from God through our
parents is correct. When you have God what more do you

need? Please God by performing all actions for Him. Dedicate
mind, body, senses and intellect to Him. If you have faith God
will manifest in front of you.

Pray wherever you go by chanting His name. Work is
worship; duty is God. God is present in all beings as Sath
(Being), Chit (Awareness), Ananda (Bliss). You sit and say 'Sai
Ram, Sai Ram', but your mind wanders to the dhobi's
(washerman's) house, wondering whether he will bring your
clothes today. Japa or meditation with an uncontrolled mind is
a waste of time. Truth, Goodness and Beauty, three attributes
of God, are all present in one's own heart. Pray wholeheartedly
from your heart; have both compassion and Love. If you pray
with Love but do not have compassion, it is useless. Coffee
powder and water must both be present to make coffee. Speak
softly, think of God constantly and avoid bad company and any
other disturbances.

Swami concluded His Discourse by singing, "Hari bhajana
bina sukh shanti nahi."

April 5, 1996; Good Friday.


        2

ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE

Embodiments of Divine Love,

At one time Napoleon taught his soldiers, "Be clear and the
rest will follow." He meant that pure feelings and actions will
give one a pure heart. The whole world is a drama composed
by God where every individual is an actor and God is the
Director. Only the Director God creates the actors and designs
all of the scenes. Whatever may happen is the manifestation of
the Divine acts blossoming from the heart. Every human being
is the spark of the Divine with Love as his natural trait and the
goal of every living being and animal is to realize and manifest
this Divinity. In this universal drama of life we are all acting
to express Love; the end of transformation is to become the
embodiment of Love. Prior to this Love is information and this
information (knowledge) gathered throughout our lives
culminates in individual spiritual transformation. Though
everyone has been created out of Love, how unfortunate it is
that man's responsibility and proper role to Love has been
forgotten. In this drama everyone should play his role well,
because if he does not, he will lose his reputation and respect.
As everyone is a spark of the Divine, everyone should express
the quality of Divine Love (Prema).

There is a "chinna katha," a small story. Once there was
a very loving man swimming in a river. As there had been a
heavy downpour, the water was flowing very turbulently.
Suddenly he saw a scorpion floating in the water. Out of
concern he gently picked it up and placed it in the palm of his

hand. As it is the nature of the scorpion to bite, it bit the man
and he quickly dropped it back into the river. But since he
could not bear to see the scorpion drown, he again lifted it up
to save it and again he was bitten. A cowherd boy came up to
him and asked, "Why do you try to save it when its nature is
to bite?." The kind man replied, "It may be the scorpion's
nature to bite, but I am a human being and my nature is to
Love. Why should I disregard my nature?."

See that you never change your nature and move away
from Love. Love should never be converted into greed or
anger. The whole world needs Love. At one time the Gopikas
prayed to Lord Krishna:

"In this dry and parched land,
In order to grow the saplings of Love,
Send rains of Love. Let rivers of Love flow,
So we may reap the harvests of Love."

One's whole life should be full of Love. The true meaning of
life is Love. Love is essential for life. The mind should be full
of Love, the heart compassion.

True human life must have Truth and Love. Today man is
dropping Love for pleasures because he is not understanding
the nature of Love. Worldly life is temporary, momentary and
ephemeral. Earlier the ladies sang, "I am God." Everything is
the form of God and God has an infinite number of forms.
When one has determination concerning this Truth, then Love
will naturally flow. Right from birth to death man is searching
for Bliss. A boy is happy if he passes and goes to the next
class in school. But how long does this happiness last ? Soon

he desires a first class standing in university, and when he
achieves it he is happy. Then he wants to be a post-graduate.
He achieves it and is happy, but for how long? He then desires
and obtains a job and then a wife. After getting these he is
happy, but for how long? Next he wants a son, then a daughter.
He goes on struggling for happiness, desiring objects one after
another until he retires. Then he wishes for peace. Thus
happiness comes and goes; it is impermanent. All the worldly
happiness is not equal to the spiritual happiness of the Atma.

What is Truth? Truth is evident when one expresses
selfless Love. A life lived in Truth is Bliss. One's life should
be full of Love. A heart without Love is poisonous. You may
smile and say hello, but if it is not expressed from the heart,
but only from the lips, it is not genuine or truthful. Today the
world is behaving in such an artificial manner that all are only
attracted by falsehood. For example, if you drop a
handkerchief, someone retrieves it for you and you say thanks,
it is often an artificial thanks. Only pure selfless Love is Divine
Love; all other love is artificial. Some only pray to God during
difficulties and when they have no difficulties they forget God.
Spending our life in gratitude and giving something back is the
proper role in life's drama where God is the Director and His
nature is Love. This Divine drama should not only be an
expression but also a propagation of Love and Truth. All this
life that we think is real is only a dream and all the pleasures
that one experiences and enjoys are not Truth.

There was once a poor man who had a wife and a son for
whom he could not afford to provide. So he left home to earn
money. In the meantime, unknown to him, his son died. One


night he had a dream that he was a very rich man living in a
large bungalow with five healthy sons, servants and all other
amenities. After he awoke from the dream he couldn't find his
bungalow and his five sons; he visited his wife who informed
him of the loss of their only son. Now he thought, "Should I
weep for the poverty and the loss of my only son that I am
suffering from now, or should I weep for the loss of my five
sons and riches in my dream?. Which of these is the Truth?"
Neither are the Truth. "I" am the Truth. In the waking state I
have problems and in the dream state I had no problems, but
both are false. The Truth is God and "I" am that God. Past is
past and it can never return and tomorrow is uncertain. Today
is the present; but it is not the ordinary present, it is the
omnipresent. Both the waking and dreaming states exist in the
mind, but don't follow the mind as it is like a mad monkey.
Don't follow the body; it is like a water bubble that may burst
at any time. You are truly the form of Supreme Bliss,
non-dual, eternal, pure, unsullied, the witness, beyond
comprehension, attributeless. Sai is the Supreme Preceptor. God
is the eternal witness, but such Divinity is forgotten today and
man struggles for the fleeting things.

Who is near God? The one who follows God's commands
and manifests Divine attributes. The secret is to have full faith
in God; then one is a true human. The word for man is
"manaci" (ma-na-ci). Man is the embodiment of Love. If we
reverse the syllables in manaci, it becomes "ci- na- ma."
Today's man is a cinema man; he is artificial and lacks
compassion. But if he would follow the commands of God,
everything else would follow. Though you have gold (God),
from which you can make any type of jewellery (receive any

Grace), you pray, "I want Bliss, Grace and Love." But all of
these are ignorant utterances. The correct goal is in the prayer,
"God, I want You." Everything is nothing without God.
Everything material in the world is really nothing. Listening
and experiencing this Truth is true Happiness and Love.

Start the day with Love,
Spend the day with Love,
End the day with Love,
This is the way to God.

But we are starting and ending the day with sadness and
weeping instead. Napoleon has said, "Be clear and the rest will
follow." Napoleon had great control over his mind. When one
has mind control work can be transformed into worship. Do all
acts, whether of service or in one's profession, to please God.

How does one experience God? You are wrong to say that
you are the one who is working. For example, if you make a
plan for a house, the idea has first come from the heart (God)
and all that comes from the heart is Divine. You are not the
doer, God is the Doer. When you are hungry you satisfy your
hunger for yourself. When you love a child it is for your own
satisfaction that you kiss him. So all works are done to satisfy
your own self. This truth is not recognized. One should perform
all acts only for God or Atma and not to satisfy the mind and
the inert body. When a doctor performs an operation he uses a
knife, but who did the operation? The knife? No! The doctor
performed the operation with the knife as the instrument.
Similarly, you are the Master (the Atma), so make proper use
of your instruments the body, mind and intellect.

It is our good fortune to play a part in this drama designed
by God; it is not possible for all to act in this play. In this play,
every role is assigned by God; there is selection. Today in the
worldly life, there is no selection, but only election. What
happens in an election? You are not a candidate selected by
God but you have to give a note (money) to get a vote. In
selection God is in you as conscience. If we have been selected
by God, we are most privileged to listen to Him. Love is the
most important; there is nothing beyond Love. Everything is
Love, so live in Love. Be happy; serve and worship God, then
you will gain Eternal Bliss. None should put on castor oil
faces. Smile, because Baba likes to see smiling faces. There are
two types of smiles. One is a smile and the other is the loud
laughter as in a cinema. You should not laugh loudly. The
language of God is silence. Be pure of heart and steady in
devotion. When the heart is full of Love, there is sweetness.
The ladies sang, "Lord, Your Love gets sweeter and sweeter as
the days go by...." One should recognize that such sweetness
cannot be found anywhere except in God. Put into practice all
that is learnt in the texts or else that learning is useless. As all
acts are performed through the body. Love should emanate
through you. In a tumbler of water, the tumbler is only a
container. Without the tumbler you cannot contain the water.
Likewise, the body is like a tumbler full of Divine Love.

Jayadeva prayed, "O tongue, the one that knows the taste
and talks of God is the only worthwhile one. O tongue, no one
has your quality of patience. How carefully and peacefully you
move amidst the enemies (thirty-two sharp teeth). Knowing the

taste of both sweet and bitter things, you eat the sweet and
throw out the bitter."

The tongue has the sacred quality of discrimination
between what is good and bad, what should go in and what
should stay out. It is has no associations and visits no one; it
remains in the mouth. Some people go from house to house
like rats and cats. The tongue should not accuse others and
spend time in falsehood. Let only the name of God dance on
the tongue. The tongue is "nataki," a dancer. What does nataki
mean? It is a vehicle of maya or illusion. It dances
continuously. How can one control natakfl Reverse the
syllables to "kitana" (continuous singing). Continuously singing
the glory of God with Love is the only way to reverse the
illusion, not by force but by "source" (realizing the Atma). This
is the role that one should play in the Drama to gain a very
good reputation. One should deserve God's Love; when you are
not accepted by God, you are cheap. God's Love is immense
like a Divine mother's Love, so through your exemplary
conduct and by following His commands He will submit
Himself to you. God creates the devotee', and the devotee also
creates God by constant remembrance. The devotee has no
value without God and without the devotee there is no God.
The unity of God and the devotee exalts the human quality and
proves that God and the devotee are one and the same. This
Sacred Truth is made unsacred today.

When we take birth we cry, "Koham? Koham?" (Who am
I ?). When we die we should have the answer, "Soham" (I am
He). In an exam when you write the correct answers you will
get good results. Learn well, pass the grades, earn the degrees,

and then God will claim, "You are Mine." When God says this
it is our greatest fortune. In order to safeguard this fortune,
think of God continuously and sing His name with Love.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita
Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama..."

April 7, 1996, Easter Sunday.


        3

SADHANA

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In order to attain and experience Divinity it is necessary to
have Divine thoughts and Divine actions. Many people pursue
various paths to spirituality and expect results, but at times they
become disappointed and frustrated. What is the reason?
Everyone has to examine whether he is obeying God's
commands or not. People behave in a wayward manner and
therefore do not gain freedom (liberation). Everyone should
know all the aspects of sadhana (spiritual practice). Most
aspirants today consider sadhana to be japa (repetition of a
mantra), bhajan (singing hymns), meditation, etc., but these are
merely worldly practices as they involve the use of the body,
the mind and the intellect. We should transcend these three, for
the body is temporary and the mind is wavering.

What does the word "sa" - "dhana" mean? "Sa" means
identity or proximity. "Dhana" does not mean worldly wealth,
power, etc., but it means Divine Wealth or Truth, and oneness
with that Truth which is eternal, ancient, pure and unsullied.
This wealth is called sadhana. Spiritual practices do not consist
only of sitting with eyes closed and limbs controlled. We
should also understand the environment in which we live and
then we would gain God's Grace. We must bear all opposites
such as heat and cold, rain and sun, pleasure and pain, profit
and loss and sin and merit, equally. Vyasa taught the essence
of the Vedas in just two sentences: Helping others is
meritorious. Hurting others is sin.

The word "paraupakara" is divided into three syllables -
"para," "upa" and "kara." "Para" means the Supreme or the
Highest Abode; "Upa" means nearness and "kara" means to do
or to go. Upakara, therefore, means that one should do good
and help others in order to go near God. This is the proper
spiritual path, the essence of the Upanishads. In the word
"Upanishad," "upa" means near and "shad" means sit. What is
the meaning of sitting near? The significance is that a disciple
must sit down at the Feet of God (Guru) who is on a higher
level. All the spiritual texts teach how to go near God. Just as
one goes near an air conditioner to get coolness and comfort
when it is hot, similarly, when one goes near God, he would
develop Divine qualities. This is sadhana.

What is "papa" or sin? Harming others is sin; classifying
and diversifying and forgetting the unity is a sin. Names and
forms may vary, but the Spirit is only one. The words from the
hymn, "Eka Prabhu, eka nam... Eswara sarva bhutanam," say
that God is in every being. God and nature are in union where
God is the cause and nature is the effect. There cannot be an
effect without a cause. To consider unity (Atma) as diversity
(nature) is a sin. The spiritual path is very easy but due to our
ignorance we are confused. Accept that whatever happens is for
your own good and for the good of the world. If your desire is
not fulfilled, don't consider it to be bad.

You are not one, but three: The one you think you are (the
body), the one others think you are (the mind or the ego), and
the one you really are (the Atma). Take for example, a piece of
cloth. It consists of the unity of the cotton, threads and cloth.
Our many desires may be compared to threads. If you remove

them one by one, the cloth would disappear. Likewise, the
mind would disappear after the removal of all desires. Less
luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure in the journey
of life. Have only the desire for God. Develop this unique
novel desire and also follow the commands of God. We should
develop the faith and determination to desire only God, to
follow His commands and trust that whatever God says is for
our own good.

Once there was a king in India whose custom was to drink
sugarcane juice during a certain festival. The king desired to
cut the sugarcane himself. As he had no experience in this, by
mistake he cut off his finger. His minister declared, "O king,
this is very good for you." The king became very angry and
had the minister imprisoned. The minister declared that to be
imprisoned was good for him. One day the king decided to
journey into the forest, and after some time he stopped to take
rest under a tree. While resting he overheard a nearby tribal
king and his tribe members discussing their need for a perfect
human being for a sacrifice. They soon discovered the king and
expressed great happiness. They captured him, gave him a bath
and made all the preparations for the sacrifice. Suddenly they
spotted the place on his hand where the finger had been
accidently cut off. They decided to release him as he was
imperfect, and the king returned to his kingdom. He mused,
"What the minister has said was true. Indeed, it was for my
own good that my finger was cut off." He went to the prison
cell, told the minister that what he had said was true and
released him. The minister replied, "Yes, the prison was also
good for me. If I had followed you into the forest, they would
have sacrificed me instead." The king now believed that

everything that happened was due to the Divine command. He
said, "Pleasure and pain are good for me. Whatever God
chooses for me is good for me." Everyone should have full
knowledge of this truth. This is sadhana.

Sadhana is not only japa, rituals and bhajans etc.. The
essence of all rituals is to obey God's commands. In God's
treasury there are many gems and valuables. What is God's
nature? It is to give more than we can understand; but if you
ask your request may not be fulfilled. "O mind, without asking
did Rama not fulfill Sabari's wish? Without asking did He not
send the bird, Jatayu to heaven? O mind, why ask?" God gives
more than you could ever ask when you follow His commands,
worship Him wholeheartedly and with full surrender. That is
true sadhana.

Once Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were walking towards
Chitrakoot. Rama was tired so He asked Lakshmana to build a
hut for the evening's sojourn. Lakshmana asked Him where he
should build the hut. Lakshmana was very pained and said,
"What sin have I committed that You should ask me to choose
the place? I have no desire other than to follow Your
command. All is Your Will." Rama bugged Lakshmana and
said, "It is easy to get a wife or a mother, but to get a brother
like you is not possible." Divine Love has no limits.

The world is ephemeral and full of misery, but there is
Eternal Divinity within it. Today, love, worship and other acts
are merely a show; true spirituality is not being practiced. If
you cannot follow the command of God, your worship is of no
use. One should not have a dual mind; a man with a dual mind

is half blind. Do not have feelings of mine and Thine as in a
business partnership; between God and the devotee there should
be only a Divine relationship; always give without expectation
of return. Maintaining the spiritual heart in purity is spiritual
practice. The dualistic attitude is one of no wisdom. What is
wisdom? Non- dualism, recognizing the One without a second,
is wisdom.

Freedom! Nowadays you are enjoying freedom by doing as
you like. You are having numerous unfulfilled desires and as
a result, you are not able to know your own Atmic nature.
Therefore, you are not receiving God's grace. The word for
freedom is "Swaicha." "Swa" means Atma or "of the spirit" and
"icha" means will (God's Will). So "swaicha" is not the
freedom of the body, mind or intellect, but rather the freedom
of the Atma. The body is like a water bubble and the mind is
like a mad monkey; by following them you would go the
wrong way. We don't have God's grace due to undisciplined
freedom of body, mind and intellect. Once we know this, we
would be able to gain God's grace. So sadhana is not only
spiritual practices like meditation, but comprises many other
aspects as well.

We should- know that pleasure and pain are not separate
in that without pain, pleasure has no value. Pleasure is an
interval between two pains. All experiences are like passing
clouds. Sadhana comprises actions associated with purification.
Another important aspect of sadhana is to maintain equanimity
at all times.

God is totally unselfish. God gifted the body to the devotee
to do pure actions. Man should practice selfless Love, as God
is selfless, and not question to whom this Love should be
given. Man should have firm determination in this. As God is
the complete totality, to reach this God, man should surrender
totally.

In Italy there was a certain man who made violins. He took
an entire year to make only one violin. When asked why he
took so long, he replied that he was not making it for the
money. He said that since God is perfect, whatever one does
should also be perfect and that he desired God's Grace. A
whole-hearted devotee should offer full Love. "Om,
Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornath, Poorna madhacyathe."
This means that, "God is full and infinite, the nature of the
devotee is fullness and infinity; all are full and infinite."
Always have the feeling of fullness. Obedience to God's
command leads to spiritual freedom.

In this Kali Yuga, though it is difficult to have good
friends, have only good friends. So long as you have wealth, all
will say, "Hello," but when you lose everything your friends
will run away. The greatest friend is God alone who is above,
below, around and inside you. So long as there is water in a
tank, there are a thousand frogs around that tank but when the
tank becomes empty, the frogs will disappear. Worldly
friendship is similar. The only true friend is God who embodies
true freedom; when we understand this we will achieve oar
goal. For this we need to surrender and for surrender we need
steady faith in God.

Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a dream - realize it.
Life is love - enjoy it.

Do not discriminate in Love. Enjoy it! For example, when you
visit the market to purchase vegetables, if you start to enquire
where they came from, etc., you may have doubts and imagine
that they came from dirty places or dirty water and then you
won't enjoy them. Why bother making too many inquiries, just
enjoy them (God's Love).

Once Ramakrishna took his disciple, Pramananda, to a
river and held his head under the water. When he pulled him
out, he asked him, "What name of God did you think of?."
Pramananda replied, "I could not think of anything except how
to get out of the water" (gasping for air). Once you are
drowned in Divine Love, you will only think of God. That is
real concentration. Time waste is life waste, so love God more
and more- every moment.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita
Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama, Ram."

April 8, 1996


        4

PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI

Embodiments of Divine Love,

We acquire all forms of wealth through our words alone.
Through our words, we develop friendships and relationships
and receive knowledge. Bad also happens because of our
words. Our words should be sacred and in accordance with the
Vedas. The nature of spirituality can be known through reading
the words of all sacred texts. Man should make every effort to
speak properly. Swami always says, "You can't always oblige,
but you can always speak obligingly." As creation is the
manifestation of the Creator, nature has all the attributes of
God. Every person has been born to reflect the Divinity in
nature. What is prakriti (nature)? It is not merely the forms of
material comforts, but it is also the form of God's wealth.

Sthree stands for the feminine, though not only in the
physical sense. The word "Sthree" can be divided into three
sounds; "Sth," "r" and "ee." "Sth" stands for satwic, "r" stands
for rajasic and "ee" stands for thamasic. Every person or being
that is born into the world is feminine, and has these three
qualities (satwic, rajasic and thamasic). Man should have the
quality of satwa comprising Divine, sacred feelings and
piousness, so that he may merge in the Divine. Thamasic does
not stand for dullness, but for obedience, humility, morality and
integrity. Rajasic does not stand for emotion, anger, arrogance,
or pomp, but for forbearance, tolerance and charity.

Who is manava the human? Man is the one with sacred
feelings at the centre. The human quality is one with perfect
harmony of sacred thoughts, words and actions. That is why it
is said that the proper study of mankind is man. The physical
world of nature has purity and man can learn from the purity
in nature. Spirituality does not consist only of penance, rituals,
meditation, etc. These aspects are only practiced to make the
heart pure and to enable one to be away from the transient
world. True spirituality is not only thinking of God but also
being away from all unsacred actions. Spirituality embodies the
eternal Truth.

Nature is the best teacher. Through the study of nature one
can learn what is transient and what is permanent. That which
is sacred in nature is Divinity. Whatever is not in the Divine
cannot be experienced in nature. You say that you are not
seeing God or experiencing God. What foolishness! You are
God. In nature everything is the Divine form. Just as in
ornaments you find that gold is one and the same, similarly in
nature everything is Divine.

Every human being has the three feminine attributes,
satwic, rajasic and thamasic. From the worldly, physical point
of view, everyone is both masculine and feminine. Birth and
death, hunger and thirst are common to all. Pleasure and pain
are common to both. The principle of unity in both men and
women is one. Equality is Divinity. Man says that females are
weak due to their feminine qualities. It is wrong to say that
women are weak, dependant, and are only for working in the
kitchen. Every human being is weak. The word for weak is
"abala. " There is only one male who is without weakness and

He is God. The feminine aspect of God is "prakriti" or Nature
and it consist of form made up of matter. Divinity is energy. It
is impossible to have prakriti without Divinity as both are
interdependent. We should not, therefore, think that anything is
evil because everything is Divine and full of sanctity. We
cannot change the creation, we must change our outlook.
Sadhana means making one's vision sacred. The Bhagavad
Geetha states that a woman has higher powers than a man and
a woman also has many titles. In ancient Bharat, women
represented the higher, nobler qualities. In the home, the
woman has been given the title Grilakshmi as the prestige of
the family depended entirely upon the standards set by the
woman. The ancient Bharatiyas had said to watch the wife
because on her depends the reputation of the family. Women
provide strength to the family and the society.

Recognizing that Divinity is the basis of all things,
everyone should reflect on his indwelling Divinity and expand
his mind. The heart should be full of sacred Love, so that all
things would be full of Love. "Hrudaya " is the word for heart.
The word when split into "hru" and "daya," means a heart with
compassion. Today, however, compassion is absent and the
heart is full of wicked thoughts, etc. Purify the heart by
thinidng of God.

"Abala" with reference to women does not mean that they
are weak. For example, in ancient times the students were very
much afraid of the school master, but today the reverse is true.
Today the teachers are very much afraid of the students. When
this teacher (of ancient times) returned from his school, he was
very much afraid of his wife. So how can men call women

weak? Take the example of a military leader. He has lots of
soldiers (100,000+) at his command, but he also is afraid of his
wife. Thus all (both men and women) are weak. Weakness is
not based on or determined by the physical body alone. Both
men and women are children of immortality.

Who is the true man? God is the only male or Purusha,
though not in the worldly sense. The body is the Pura and the
Divinity residing inside the human body as Awareness is the
Purusha. So man's reality is awareness. Based on that
Awareness, all are Purushas. So everywhere the Truth remains
as equality or unity only. All should express only the Divinity.
One should do his duty while discriminating between Purusha
and Prakriti and realize that the bodies are separate but
Purusha is one. We wear slippers on our feet, not on our heads
and we wear glasses only on our eyes. We do not do the
reverse. Similarly, we should see that in nature, every object
has a Divine base and a specific utility. The one who follows
proper procedures based on correct knowledge is a man. It is
yoga to perform one's duty. Yoga, which means unity and
combination must be practiced to realize Divinity. Where there
is purity, unity will follow, and where there is unity. Divinity
will be realized. Unity is the very life breath of existence.
Unity is the strength of Love. Take the example of cloth. The
threads are well woven, but if you separated each thread (by
removing it), there would be no strength.

The welfare of the country depends on the family. Man has
three responsibilities: first, as an individual to himself; second,
to his family; and third, to his society. When the individual is
good, the family will be good, and when the family is good, the

society will be good. When the society is good, the world will
be good. So the welfare of the world depends on the individual.

What is the meaning of vyaktii We call the body or
individual vyakti. Vyakti denotes the hidden sacredness, the
Divinity within, which must always be expressed and only then
can one be called a true individual. The behaviour of an
individual should be proper, having good conduct as the main
quality. From the Divine perspective (Atma), the whole of
humanity is one and the same with no differences. There is
only one caste, the caste of humanity. Father, mother, caste and
creed have as the basis the one Atma though we have different
cultures based on the regions or environments, visions or
habits. We must conduct ourselves according to our
environment. For example, one would use a woollen coat while
visiting the cool hill-station region to keep warm whereas in a
region like Andra Pradesh (in South India), one has to wear
cotton clothing to remain cool.

Everyone should recognize that the entire creation is full
of Divinity. There are many tube lights and light bulbs here in
this room. Though their capacities may be different, the current
in them is one and the same.

Religions are many, but the goal is one.
Ornaments are many, but the gold from which they are
made is one.

Cows are many, but milk is one.
Flowers are many, but worship is one.
The paths to God are many, but God is one.

We should always use discrimination and discipline in our
lives to enable us to lead an ideal life as we may go astray
without them. Take for example the body temperature which
has discipline. The normal temperature is 98.4 F and if it rises
a little higher there would be fever and illness. The normal
blood pressure is 120/80 and an increase would lead to disease.
One's whole life and body is a limited company and should
always be kept within limits. Be yogis, aspirants, not rogis,
disease-filled. Life should be one of sacrifice, otherwise one
would become diseased. For example, the food that one eats
has to be sacrificed or else a stomach ache would ensue. Also
our breath which is inhaled, must be sacrificed or our lungs
would become damaged. The blood, too, has to be circulated;
it should not remain in one place, stagnant. This sacrifice that
we experience in our daily lives in our bodies is called "yagna."
When you sacrifice for another, you should take into account
the deservedness of the recipient.

Three disciplines must be practiced to be a noble soul:
one's thoughts, words and deeds must be controlled and in
harmony. One must have constant control over one's tongue by
using proper words, talking less, and working more. By
remaining silent, one would have more energy and intelligence
and memory would improve. All saints have observed silence,
and often did so in solitude. Today in the midst of society,
aspirants are seeing and hearing everything. What should we
see and hear?

See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil;hear what is good.
Talk no evil; talk what is good.

Do no evil; do what is good.
This is the way to God.

If we entertain evil thoughts, we become evil. Always
behave in society in a proper way. Coal should be near the fire
to become hot, and in close proximity both would eventually
become one. The coal would become totally transformed into
fire. You also should be not only near but also dear to God and
then only you would become identified with God. If you are
only near you are like a frog on a lotus who is not aware of the
honey, while bees come from far away to suck the honey.

In the culture of Bharat, we do namaskar. Placing the two
palms of the hands and all the ten fingers together signifies that
the five organs of cognition and the five organs of action are
animated by and offered to the one Divinity. This signifies
unity in diversity.

Nations are many but earth is one;
Beings are many but the body is one;
Stars are many but the sky is one.

In former days water had no price, but if mixed with milk
it became valuable because milk had value. Likewise, never be
in bad company because your goodness may become diluted
and removed due to the bad company. There is a saying, "Tell
me your company and I will tell you what you are." The way
to discriminate between good and bad company is to watch a
person's conduct. Spiritual aspirants should not have too much
friendship and should have less associations in life. These are
highly dangerous because he/she may be a friend today but an

enemy tomorrow. Just say, "Hello, how are you? and goodbye."
Never have too much relationship.

Many people have taken time and money to come here
(Kodaikanal) from different countries, but spend time in
gossiping. In this way not only is (Divine) energy lost but also
there is loss of memory. All of this unnecessary talk takes one
away from nearness and dearness to God. You may be good
but you do not know whether the other person is good or bad.
If you eat limited food you will be healthy but if you eat
excess you will be diseased. Likewise, have limited talk; talk
only to the extent necessary. Excessive talking is a bad quality.

Develop only satsang, the company of people who live
with God. Share Love with at least ten people everyday. To say
that "you and I are one" is wrong! It is correct to say that "you
and I are we," and "we and we are one." When we discriminate
clearly and follow the conscience we will become peaceful and
sacred. It is a waste of time to do meditation and japa if one's
mind is not steady and wanders around.

God is your Father and Mother. He is in you, above you
and around you. When He is so close, why go to the forests to
search for Him? Do you search for yourself? God is the
indweller in your heart. You are God, you are not separate.
You are given a name because of your body but you don't exist
only for the body. You have not been born only because of
nature. Nature is God and the embodiment of beauty. Service
done to anyone is service to God. Whomsoever you respect,
that respect goes to God; if you criticize anyone it goes to God.
So help ever, hurt never. This attitude and action will give you

Bliss. There is no greater happiness than that derived through
following these teachings.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Hari Bhajana
Bina Sukha Shanti Nahi...")

April 9, 1996


        5

TRUE DEVOTION VERSUS ATTACHMENT
TO THE WORLD

Embodiments of Divine Love,

It is the bhakti (devotion) that proves the eternal sacred
Truth that Tat Twam Asi (Thou art That), that the devotee and
God are one. In this world the many diseases and sorrows
affecting man can be classified into:

1) adibothika - relating to the body;
2) adidaivika - as a result of elements like floods,
lightening, earthquakes, etc.;
3) adyatmika - spiritual; relating to the mind.

Mental diseases are more prevalent in the world today and
mental worries cause much suffering. Man worries whether he
could fulfil whatever he starts. Only devotion to God gives
relief from the three types of diseases and sorrows.

Today man has many kinds of attachments such as to
family, property and business which make him very weak. All
weaknesses can be cured through bhakti, which can confer
liberation. There are two forms of devotion: attachment and
true devotion.

What is attachment? Man is attached to the world mainly
through three types of bondage; namely: to one's wife, children
and property. This world is permeated with these three types of
bondage which we readily take into our hearts and consequently

suffer. This is not devotion. Whatever we see, hear or talk may
make us feel happy, but that is only delusion and not devotion
(bhakti). Devotion is directing all of your attention to God. All
of the scenarios and materials that you listen to must be
dedicated to God. Having intense desire for God is bhakti. If
the love that is caught up in the three bondages is redirected
toward God, it would be devotion. We are attached to this
world but how long can the wealth and material objects and
forms satisfy us and to what extent? Money comes and goes,
ephemeral like passing clouds. After life is over can wealth
give you happiness?

One has attachment to one's wife though she was not born
with you but came in between, and will not leave with you, and
will disappear after awhile. It is only a relationship of false
attachment, not Truth. The relationship with the son is similar.
The son is the form that results from the attachment between
husband and wife. The relationship with the son is also
impermanent. The three bondages to wife, son and wealth are
ephemeral, but God was there prior to one's birth, during one's
lifetime, and will be there after one's death. God who exists
before, during and after life in the body is the Truth and the
one Goal. To live with this attitude is devotion. You are
deluding yourself when you attach to other things and persons
and not to God. Everything should be offered to God. Do your
duty and please God. One's body has been gifted in order to
transform action into Dharma (righteous conduct) through
Love. Karma is action done by one's organs such as the hands
and legs. Once one combines karma with Love (the heart), the
action becomes Divine and Dharmic.

For example, a car has an engine, seats, fuel, etc., but runs
because of the battery. Similarly, the body like a car has organs
that operate because of the mind (the ear listens, the mouth
talks, etc.,). Each organ has a specific function: the eye only
sees, it does not speak; the ears only listen, etc. According to
Vedanta, the mind is the cause of the entire experience of the
world. At this moment you are sitting in this auditorium
listening to the discourse. If only your eyes and ears are here
while the mind is elsewhere, you will not benefit from the
discourse. If you suddenly become mentally absent, you would
later on wonder what Swami has said. To join the purified mind
with action is Dharma. One's body has been gifted to perform
dedicated action, so pursuing the spiritual path means following
Dharma. Man requires food to provide strength for his body
and clothes to protect it. From food (bukti) one derives energy
(shakti), from attachment (rakti) comes detachment, through
devotion (bhakti) one attains liberation (mukti). In all of these
words, bukti, shakti, rakti, bhakti, mukti, "ti" is common. In this
word "bhakti," "bha" stands for brilliance, infinity, and
transcendence. As the first syllable in bhakti is "bha" and the
last "ti," devotion (bhakti) is the cause for all powers. Devotion
should be pure, steady and selfless and one's heart should
always be pure and sacred to reach Bhagavan who is
effulgence, purity and selflessness. No one should see evil or
look for the faults in others.

Once there was a lady travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto by
train carrying a bundle of dirty clothes wrapped in a clean
cloth. Someone sitting nearby asked her, "Why do you put a
clean cloth outside while all dirty clothes are inside?" She
replied, "I have no right to display dirty clothes to anyone. To

show only goodness and purity to others is the meaning of
human life." Even though there may be bad actions and
thinking in people, a person with a good mind will cover them
up (transform them) through devotion. For example, inside the
human body are nerves, bones, blood, faecal matter, etc., which
if seen by man would cause him to faint. Even though the body
is covered by a pure, attractive skin, there is often a foul smell
rather than fragrance around it. The abdomen has long tubes of
intestines, muscles, etc., which if seen by man would cause him
to become fear-stricken. God has hidden all of these unpleasant
aspects behind the outer beauty, so that one sees only outer
beauty and forgets what is inside. As was demonstrated by the
lady from Japan who bundled her dirty clothes in a nice cloth
so as not to show them to anyone, we should also sublimate the
bad and concentrate on goodness.

The perfect example of this was demonstrated when the
devas and the demons were churning the ocean and poison
came out. Lord Shiva, the blue-throated God, thought that if
He allowed the poison to remain the earth would be destroyed,
so He drank it to protect the angels and the demons. This is a
lesson from God to teach man, "Oh mad man, keep the bad
within yourself; do not trouble or harm or hurt anyone; keep
your actions and words in check."

Lord Shiva wears the moon on His forehead to signify His
power to shed coolness and comfort. Due to His compassion
and sacrifice He also sends the sacred water of the Ganges
River to all. God keeps the bad within and shares the good with
all to teach that everything should be for the benefit of all.

After birth a baby cries for the benefit of the body, to aid
blood circulation. Thus the baby's cry is beneficial. Though life
begins with a cry it should end in Divine Bliss. The Bhagavad
Geetha also begins with the misery in human life, and ends in
Divine Bliss. So life in this world comprises both the good and
bad aspects, but we should show only what is good not the bad.
Today, man is unfortunately showing and sharing the bad with
everyone but not the good. We are finding fault with others
rather than searching for our own faults. The good within
everyone must be shared. Jesus too said that we should remove
the block in our own eyes. If we watch and remove our own
defects through self-inquiry, we can attain self-realization. In
order to practice bhakti (devotion), we must know our own
defects and direct all the good and bad in us to God. Due to the
intimate relationship with God even all the bad will turn to
good. For example no one will accept your torn 100 Rupee
note, but if you take it to the reserve bank, they will exchange
it for a new one. God is the Director of the reserve bank. Offer
Him all the bad in you and He will turn it into good. Speak to
God saying, "God, I offer You my heart that You gifted to me,
please purify it." To offer everything to His Lotus Feet is
surrender and devotion. God gave you the Love that is within
you; so offer this Love back to Him.

There is no one today without some trace of evil. There
must be evil in the world for goodness to have value. There
cannot be day without night or air-conditioning without heat.
This is explained in the Bhagavad Geetha in the chapters on
"Kshetra Vibhaga Yoga" Take the example of the orange
covered with a bitter rind with sweet juice inside. As one
cannot eat the rind, it is necessary to remove it to enjoy the

sweet juice. God's creation is a combination of good and bad,
and one must discriminate and keep only the good. In bhakti
(devotion) offer everything good and bad to God only. We
celebrate birthdays to show that we are happy the child is
growing up, but we do not realize that his life span is also
diminishing year by year. Thus at the beginning of life there is
happiness but later on there is misery. To offer both to God is
bhakti. Misery, too, is a gift of God. It is bhakti (devotion) to
see the universal presence of the one God in both happiness
and misery.

At present, students are taping the songs and discourses. If
you remove the cassette from the tape recorder you cannot hear
the songs and discourses. Also you must connect the plug or
batteries in order to listen to the tape. Similarly, one must
connect to God through concentration in order to hear and
know Him as Divinity cannot be seen through the physical eye.
Only through bhakti can one experience the direct vision of
God. All of one's actions should be offered only to God. In
ancient times in their prayers devotees offered all of their limbs
to God. Today, the devotee takes flowers, touches his eyes, and
offers the flowers to God. But one is offering the flowers
instead of the eyes, thus saying one thing and doing another.
The devotee touches his heart with a flower and offers the
flower to God, but he is not truly offering his heart. As you
think so should you act. The devotee should say to God, "If I
offer my heart to You, it should be filled with Divinity." In
Telugu there is a saying, "As is the action so is the reaction."
People today say one thing and do another, so God too reacts
in the same manner. As God reflects, your own evil returns to
you.

In the food prayer, "Brahmarpanam Brahmahavir," we
offer food to God and God replies, "Oh mad student, you are
offering food to God, but where do you think God is? I am
present inside you selflessly digesting and distributing the
essence of all four types of food to all parts of the body. I do
not receive the nourishment, you do." Though God is selfless
and full of sacred Love, today's selfish man is not able to
understand this, but instead blames God. Everyone is dependent
on God because He resides within one as the consciousness that
enables one to see, work, and move, etc. All of the limbs by
themselves are inert; the consciousness alone makes the body
function. Have strong faith that God is latent within you and is
the form of Love. It is enough if one has devotion but today
man is drowned in attachment to the world. One can have faith
only when he directs his mind to God with Love. So develop
faith in God and His Love to solve the problems and miseries
of life.

There are four stages in life: student, householder,
renunciant and retired. Today as these are all mixed up, there
is misery; a celibate acts like a householder and a householder
acts like a celibate. Whether one is a celibate or a householder,
he should do his duty; no other penance is required. Don't give
up your duty, but rather offer all actions to God. Bhakti is the
easiest path to liberation. Life is indeed full of miseries like old
age, disease, and death. Family members are not born with us;
we acquire these relationships only in the middle between birth
and death. At birth we do not even come with clothes and we
also do not know where we are going at death. If we post a
letter, it must have a "to" and "from" address or it will go to
the dead letter box. Likewise, you should know where you are

coming from and going to. Know at least one address by
inquiring into the "I" within yourself and discover that you
have come from the Atma (Spirit). It is natural for beings to
return to their origin.

For example, the clay pot will eventually go back to its
origin as part of the earth; it was a pot in the middle stage
only. Your body too is like the temporary, impermanent pot,
but it has God within it, so pray and offer all to God. That is
bhakti (devotion). Many miseries come in life but all are like
passing clouds. Instead of spending time doing rituals and
penances, offer only pure Love to God. Making her baby lie
quietly in the crib, the mother resumes her work. The moment
the child cries she will leave everything and run to him not
taking time to consider the tune or rhythm of the cry. Likewise,
God does not consider the rhythm or tune of our cry or prayer,
but sees only our heart. That is the nature of the Love of the
Divine Mother who expects only Divine Love and responds to
whole-hearted prayer. Offer your heart full of Love; that is
Supreme Devotion (Ananya Bhakti).

Swami ended His discourse by singing, "Chitta Chora
Yashoda Ke Bal..."

Then He spoke again: In the song "Chitta Chora Yashoda
Ke Bal," God is called a thief. The butter and milk that Krishna
stole were the soft and pure hearts of the devotees, and the
devotees want Krishna like a thief to steal their hearts.
Ordinarily if anyone is called a thief, he would become angry,
but here God is called a thief not of worldly things or pleasures

but only of pure hearts. Make your heart pure so that He can
steal it.

April 10, 1996


        6

HAVE GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD ACTIONS AND
GOOD COMPANY TO REALIZE GOD

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In the spiritual field, those aspiring for spiritual Bliss will
have to observe these four disciplines. Firstly, they must run
away from bad company. Secondly, they have to be free from
bad thoughts. Thirdly, they have to perform good actions. And
fourthly, they need to come near to God through withdrawal of
the mind. Man is put to suffering because he is physically in
bad company and mentally suffers from bad thoughts. Any
spiritual aspirant is in danger because of bad company, so run
away from them. What is bad company? It consists of those
individuals who harbour self-interest, ego, jealousy, and who
generally lack human qualities. All of these will take you away
from the Divine. Due to bad company we not only lose human
qualities but even the good thoughts and feelings can turn bad.
A man in the company of thieves will turn into a thief; a man
of virtue loses his virtues in the company of those with vice.
The sacred heart becomes unsacred. Therefore, run from bad
company and never associate with unbelievers and those with
bad negative thoughts.

Though God is the fundamental base of the entire universe,
we forget this fundamental nature of the Divine and follow the
fleeting world. Life and time are of great value; time is the
form of God. Our life and thoughts run like a whirlwind, like
a river; our life span is melting like ice. Man ends his life

without fulfilling his responsibility and duty to know the
purpose of life. Without the body as the support, you cannot
know the Supporter, the Indweller, so protect the body in order
to recognize the Divinity within. As the body is a sacred
instrument to know God the Indweller, one must understand the
body, and then inquire about the Indweller.

In the sacred text of the Mahabarata there was a certain
character, Kama, who was the embodiment of righteousness
and charity. Due to association with the wicked Kauravas, he
too became one with them; that is, wicked. Though formerly
noble, highly educated, and powerful, such a mighty one lost
his power due to wrong company. It is difficult to distinguish
between the pious and the wicked, but based on their actions
and words one can decide.

Meditation and japa are not the only components of the
spiritual path. True spirituality lies in removing animal traits
and attaining Divinity. Among all beings man is the noblest.
Food, sleep, fear, and procreation are common to both man and
animal. Man is endowed with the special ability to distinguish
the permanent from the impermanent, the good from the bad,
the right from the wrong. Man has a higher mind (intellect) and
wisdom without which there is no difference between man and
animal. A human being is one with a mind, and is thus called,
"manushi" Man's thoughts originate from the intellect and his
behaviour is based on his thoughts. One on the wrong path will
have wrong thoughts and it is only due to wrong and negative
thoughts and weaknesses that one cannot recognize Divinity. So
run away from nonbelievers and those against God or you will
suffer. A serpent has poison in its mouth, but a wicked man is

more poisonous. A serpent bites once, whereas a wicked man
hurts continuously. Never be with those who are against the
spiritual path. Good company, satsang, consists of those who
are on the good path. "Sat" means "Being" which never
changes, or is affected by what happens. Be in the company of
"Sat," that is, pious, noble people; have friendship with such
people to develop the spirituality within you and to diminish
worldly thoughts.

Don't delay in doing good acts. Once when Kama was
taking a head bath, he held in his left hand the oil for his head
in a gold cup. Kama never refused anyone anything. A brahmin
arrived and informed Kama of his son's marriage. Immediately
Kama gave the gold cup to this brahmin to use in the marriage
ceremony, with his left hand. The brahmin told him that it was
proper for him to offer a gift with only the right hand. To offer
a gift with the left hand is unrighteous according to the
restrictions regarding offerings of charity. Usually one's mind
wavers in such a decision, but this was not so in the
large-heartedness of Kama. He thought, "The effects of the
mind are mysterious. If I transfer hands to offer the gold cup,
I may lose this good idea or thought in the thought of deciding
which hand to use. It is better that I give spontaneously with
my heart rather than thinking about which hand to use."
Similarly, a person may wish to give a ten rupee note to
another. But by the time he goes and fetches it from his box,
he changes his mind and eventually gives away only two
rupees. This is only due to attachment. This is the difference
between charity (dhana) and wealth (dana). Always do good
immediately, don't bother whether it is day or night. At
whatever time a person comes to you, you must be good to

them. This is called Satsang (the company of Truth). Vyasa
expressed the essence of the eighteen Puranas with, "Help ever,
hurt never."

We consider helping another as "paraupakara." This word
is divided into three syllables; "para upa kara." "Para" means
spirit; "upa" means to go near to your Self, tbeAtma. Spirit in
one is the same in all; God is present in all beings; with the
Atmic feeling, you feel close to all. From the worldly point of
view, paraupakara means charity; but from a spiritual
viewpoint, it means to be nearest and dearest to God. The
essence of the two conveys bhakti. Devotion is helping others;
when we help others, there is no mind. Day in and day out
think only of the Atma. The Spirit or Atma in you should
manifest and express externally in a pleasing way to God, then
the result is good action. But man limits himself and thinks he
is a lawyer, a businessman, etc., when in Truth he is Atma. You
should remain as a yogi. Combination or merging with one
another is yoga. However, in the sanctum sanctorum we act in
one way and in the dining hall another way. Life is momentary
like a passing cloud; it changes and passes like a day. We
move from childhood (morning) having four legs (crawling), to
youth (afternoon) having two legs, to old age (night) having
three legs (must use a walking stick). Whatever you do, have
the Godly feeling.

Some may come very close to God, while others may not.
Only the fortunate ones can be close. One should make an
attempt to be lucky. The Upanishads teach this. "Upa" means
"near," "ni" means "below," "shad" means sit down," so
Upanishad means to sit down near God.

We think that a poet is a scholar. No! God with knowledge
of the past, present and future is the true poet (the epics come
from the poet, God). Truth, which cannot be divided, is the true
poetry. From Truth God has created everything; from the pure,
unsullied Truth came poetry. Satyam (Truth), Jnanam
(Knowledge), Anantham (Boundlessness) is Truth. God created
Sabda-Brahma-Mayi, the sound from which all sounds and
vocabulary came. He is Sound, Light, Eternal Spirit, Illusion,
Prosperity. He created the word AUM. The Vedas originated
from eight letters (sounds) in the beginning. From the eight,
five were derived. The five sounds became three: A-U-M. In
the word God, there are also three G-O-D. Aum is God. We
pronounce Aum from the throat, tongue and lips (the sound
rises up through these three), and the sound which comes from
these three gets unified into one sound Om, similar to saying
God. Thus God is the basis for everything; He is the Poet,
(Kavi), for the Puranas and other epics.

Inside the human body, the pura, is the Purusha who is all
over and moves the body from top to toe. If one asks where
God is, the usual answer is that He dwells in the heart. The
Atma dwells in the spinal column between the ninth and twelfth
vertebrae. The effulgence in the sushumna nerve of the Divine
energy current is felt all over the body. The physical heart is
only the switchboard, and the current is in the spinal column.
On a stormy dark night, clouds flash lightening and give light.
The sushumna nerve moves like lightening, creates the pulse in
the body and provides the electrical current to enable the body
to move. It makes a sound slowly, "Tuk,... Tuk,... Tuk." Since
God is ancient He alone can be called God.

"Anushatam" means the one that commands. If a person
commits a theft, he is imprisoned, but it is only his body; his
mind can go elsewhere. The jailer cannot tell him not to allow
his mind to wander out of the prison. But God will command
your mind; God alone will lock your mind which is the basis
of all thoughts and withdraw it from the world. In Vedic
parlance, this has a significance-first control the mind; we do
not have it under our control. The entire world is under God's
control. Never forget God. You should come close to God. If
you do not, it is your fate. This is the lesson we can learn from
Kama's folly. Arjuna, on the other hand, had spent time in the
company of Krishna. Kama was far more knowledgable, but
through associating with the bad company of the Kauravas, he
lost. Whereas Arjuna, though he had little knowledge, was in
the good company of Lord Krishna, so he won. Sat or Being is
the nature of God. Consider that when one has devotion and
Godly feelings, all the worldly thoughts will go; that is true
life. Only through nearness to God can one derive Bliss and
true comfort. All the gold in the world cannot give that
happiness. Never lose this opportunity for nearness to God
because it will lead you to liberation. You should install this
Golden chance inside your heart. When one has mental peace,
he can resist and face the challenge.

Life is a challenge, face it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is Love, share it.
Love is God; live in Love.

Through Love one can achieve anything, but without Love
one is equal to a beggar; so develop Love. How? As Love
increases, the bodily attachment decreases, as on a seesaw, as
one goes up, the other goes down. You are in the middle.
When you go toward God, there is balance; life should always
be in balance; never lose that balance. If you misuse your
intelligence, you will lose your balance. Man can be highly
intelligent, but he misuses this capacity. If he uses it skilfully,
then he will have the correct balance. But due to evil thoughts
and impure knowledge, the intellect instead of having skill,
"kills." At one time you say yes, at another time no; there is
constant wavering. A man without balance, with a wavering
mind, is like a madman. Everything is a passing cloud. Know
this truth, do your duty and be with good company. When you
run away from bad company, you will be automatically with
good company and then you will experience Truth. You cannot
experience God now because you have good and bad in you.
When you purchase an orange, you understand that you cannot
eat the rind even though you paid five rupees. This is
discrimination. The rind symbolizes the bad qualities; throw
them away and keep the sweet juice of the Atina. Oh foolish
mind, sing the name of God. No one can save you in the end
except God. Again and again we take birth and die and lie in
mothers' wombs and never think of God. Can this be the
purpose of life? We should come once and redeem ourselves.
It is a sign of ignorance to see old things again and again. You
read today's newspaper only today, you do not again read the
same newspaper tomorrow; it has already become wastepaper.
Atma is like a test paper. You will be in eternal life if you
progress and pass with a first class. That is the purpose of life.
You must aim high looking up to the stars and never have a

low aim like a criminal. By looking up one is filled with noble
thoughts; be optimistic in life, never pessimistic. The optimist
is like the one who goes up high in the airplane, the pessimist
is the one who takes the parachute down. Seeing the tumbler as
half full is the optimist; seeing it as half empty is the pessimist.
One thief staying in jail met another thief. One was looking up
at the stars, while the other one was looking down into
darkness. The one looking up won't repeat mistakes, but the
one looking down will repeat.

Desire only Truth and God more and more. All other
desires make you desire more and more and more things. Never
listen to but run away from those who speak against God. This
is the basis for spiritual life and by following them only can
one reach noble heights. Wherever you go remember God in
your heart and thus do your duty.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Govinda Hare,
Gopala Hare, Hey Gopi Gopa Bala"

April 11, 1996


        7

KEEP SACRED THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS
TO REALIZE THE ATMA

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In this world conditioned by the three attributes
(sattwa-balance, equanimity; rajas-passion, propensity to be
active and tamas-dullness, inertia) where there is a combination
of pain and pleasure, man is unable to recognize his innate
Divinity. The whole world is full of attachment; man will be
happy the day he renounces attachment to evanescent forms.
This attachment which is due to ego, leads one to disrepute and
pain. As long as one is egoistic, one does not receive true Love
from anyone. The day one becomes detached, he will receive
Love from everyone. Therefore, start gradually to reduce
worldly attachments.

As long as he has anger man will have no peace and
happiness; to have spiritual progress, happiness and peace, he
must control his anger and reduce his desires. The man with
anger will achieve nothing; he will commit mistakes and sins
causing people to shun him. Life is a long journey and desires
are the luggage. Less luggage makes travel a pleasure, so in the
journey of life one must reduce the luggage; so discriminate in
this life what is necessary and what is not.

During his life, man experiences many changes; life is an
ocean consisting of waves of both pleasure and pain. One is
happy when one's desires are fulfilled and unhappy when they

are not. The spiritual heart rather than the external world should
be the source of man's happiness. It is not possible in life to
separate and keep the pleasures only and remove all of the
hardships. Without knowing pain and displeasure, one cannot
appreciate any happiness or pleasure; pleasure and pain are like
the two cotyledons of a bean seed, or two sides of one coin;
pleasure is an interval between two pains. One must keep the
spirit of equanimity in both pleasure and pain, profit and loss.
Difficulties and hardships are necessary because they lead to
thoughts and ideas or teach lessons to enhance spiritual
transformation and happiness. One must face the resistances
inherent in life and march ahead to Divinity; for this we need
God's grace. Today, though man is working hard and wants to
deserve grace and happiness, he is undeserving. Why is man far
from fulfilling his needs for permanent Joy, Peace and Bliss?
It is because he has no control over what he listens to and what
he speaks.

When one loses control over his actions and vision, he is
away from God's grace. See no evil, see what is good. Hear no
evil, hear what is good. Speak no evil, speak what is good.
Man today is looking at the world with a perverted, impure
vision. All are seeing only other's faults, not their own. What
kind of person are you if you seek another's faults? Rectify
your own faults. As is the thought, so is the feeling; as is the
feeling, so is the experience. If your feelings are good, your
actions will be good and if your vision is sacred, the world will
appear sacred.

Once the gum Dronacharya asked Dharmaraja (the
Pandava King) how matters in the Kingdom were progressing.

Dharmaraja replied that all persons were good, with sacred
ideals, and he extolled their manner of living. The subjects,
who were pure and selfless, loved their king as they loved their
own parents. Next Duryodhana was asked how his Kingdom
was progressing. He replied that he had not seen even one good
man. He informed the gum that all were evil. Dharmaraja's
vision was sacred so everything appeared sacred to him;
Duryodhana's vision was mean so everything appeared evil.
Good and bad are not intrinsic to the world, but are only found
in one's thoughts and counter-thoughts. If one has sacred
vision, then everything appears to be good. This entire creation
was and is being created by God; God is the cause and creation
is the effect. The whole universe consists of the relationship
between the cause and the effect, is pure and pious, and should
be extolled as Divine.

Narada extolled it as, "pure, attributeless, eternal, and
unsullied." From the ocean, numerous different forms of waves
rise; all have come from one ocean. A wave consists of some
water and foam having the same content as the ocean.
Likewise, symbolically, every individual is like a wave on the
ocean of sat chit ananda', therefore in all beings there exists sat
chit ananda.

Though ornaments are many, gold is one,
Though pots are many, clay is one,
Though cows are many, milk is one.

The entire creation of multiplicity of forms consists of God
alone. Nature is kriti meaning an act of God. Nature is made of
five elements (earth, air, fire, water, ether) which are equally

distributed in all. God is in all beings - "Easwara Sarva
Buthanam." When an individual practices oneness, there will be
no anger. Sugar is one but sweet meats are of different types,
shapes and forms. When once you recognise the Divinity
(sugar) in all, you will be able to recognise the oneness of the
Atma. It is only due to seeing the diversity of names, forms and
attributes that we believe diversity to be reality when it is not.

One should not criticize. Those who point out other's
mistakes do not know their own. By first seeing and then
removing our own mistakes the Divinity within us will shine.

The love between mother and child is attachment, the love
between husband and wife is affection, love between friends is
friendship, love between God and devotees is devotion. Though
the Love is one only, as it is used differently, it has different
names. What must one do to develop this Love? Penance and
meditation are done only for mental satisfaction. All spiritual
activities are undertaken with the mind only whereas true Love
is beyond the mind. Divine Love is the only One which
permeates the entire world. There may be crores (100,000) and
crores of names and forms, but the Self in all is One. When
many zeros are added to the number one, it goes from 10 to
100 to 1000 to 10,000. Where did the zeros get their value?
Only from the '1'.

Remove the 1 (God) and all (men) are zeros,
Only the 1 (God) is the Hero.
The world (name and form) is the zero.

1+1+1+1+1 = 1 = Yoga (all of the individual sparks
comprise the one Paramatma or Supersoul.)

This oneness is termed 'yoga'; combining or bringing
together is yoga. The unity of the individual and Divinity is to
be taken as yoga. Physical exercise is of no value to achieve
yoga.

The complete control over the mind can be called yoga. To
go within oneself to know the nature of one's mind, one must
reduce his desires. The day we have less desires, we will attain
happiness. Unlimited desires lead to diseases. For example the
normal body temperature is 98.4F, but if it reaches 99F, that
would be fever. Normal blood pressure is 120/80; a disease
may cause the blood pressure to reach 90. One should
understand that life is a limited company; in order to remain
safe and secure everything one does should be under limits.
Once the limits are crossed, one can become mad; therefore,
make every effort to control the senses.

Once a poet prayed, extolling the tongue, "Oh Divine
tongue who would not utter a lie, how can I express your
sacredness?" How are we making use of this tongue? We
should not harm anyone with our words. We should speak
softly and not blame anyone. The tongue is capable of
committing four sins (1) falsehood, (2) excessive talk (3)
accusing others (4) imaginings. The other organs like the eyes
and nose have only one function each, the eyes to see and the
nose to smell, but the tongue tastes and talks, and must be
controlled. Observe silence, then you would be able to conserve
more energy, improve memory, and attain more Divine power.

Also, if you speak more and more you may commit more
mistakes. Thus, you must learn to make proper use of the
tongue. Through limited talk you will realize supreme inner
happiness. Your tongue should not harm anyone; Swami always
says to "Help ever, hurt never." This is the proper sadhana. But
today as the eyes are always watching bad rather than good
things, one is losing his discrimination. See no evil, see only
what is good.

For example, Kechaka (a character in the Mahabaratha
Epic) had evil vision, and ultimately lost his life. No one would
ever have the name Kechaka, because of his bad reputation.
The Ramayana teaches this lesson of the importance of good
character. Manthara, the servant-maid of Kaikeyi, poisoned the
mind of Kaikeyi on the eve of Rama's coronation. Manthara's
bad feelings and words fouled the sacred heart of Kaikeyi with
the result that she ultimately lost her husband and Manthara
soiled her reputation. No one today will keep the name
Manthara, because the world dislikes her. So, never listen to
bad things and spoil your purity and good character.

Duryodhana also had an evil mind, and so his entire clan
was ruined. In the whole of India, no one would have the name
Duryodhana. Though there exist today many men of
Duryodhana's nature, no one would carry that name. There are
many good ideals depicted in the stories and epics of Bharat.

Ravana, the demon king, was an expert in sixteen forms of
knowledge, but practiced no human values. What was the use
of all this education? Having learnt everything external, a
foolish man does not know his own nature. Although he may

have a high position, a mean man does not transform himself.
Man studies endlessly until death but all his knowledge only
helps him to argue more cleverly. We should only study that
which teaches us how to become immortal. So, Ravana who
never gave up all bad deeds and thoughts, caused the ruin of
the entire clan. Among all the people in Bharat no one will
keep the name, 'Ravana'.

Liberation is an extremely subtle state of being; devotion
is the easiest way to reach this state. Liberation is very close
and intimate; God is one's nearest and dearest friend. We call
people our 'friends' according to their positions and status.
Today's friends maybe tomorrow's enemies, but God is always
with us and in us. One should develop devotion with that
indwelling God. What is the reason for man's restlessness
today? It is his loss of self-confidence which leads to misery.
We should have self-confidence, self-satisfaction, self-sacrifice
and reach self-realisation. The first, self-confidence, is like the
foundation of a house. The walls are self-satisfaction, the roof
is self-sacrifice, and life is self-realisation. We must always
enquire, "Who am I?" We say my body, my mind, and my
senses, but who am I? I am not the body, the mind, or the
senses; these are only my instruments. I am the Master. If you
take the body, mind and senses along the wrong path, it is your
mistake. To avoid error, follow the witness in the body, the
'conscience'. The senses are 'conscious'; conscience comes from
consciousness; consciousness comes from Brahman who is
all-pervasive. The entire creation has come from Brahman',
there is no place without Him.

God (Brahman) cannot be known objectively. In order to
know the Divine, one must experience Him beyond the mind
and intellect. One cannot see air. So too, God is also
everywhere, but one must experience Him to know Him. The
way to experience God is only through sadhana, (spiritual
practices). For example, when we put sugar into a glass of
water initially it remains at the bottom. Unless one stirs it with
a spoon, it does not readily dissolve. After stirring, when you
taste it, you see that it is now a syrup. Similarly, the body can
be compared to the tumbler with sugar the Divinity. There is no
taste in your life at present because you are drinking the water
of worldly desires. Take the sugar of sadhana to enable you to
taste the syrup of Divinity. One should use the buddhi (subtle
intellect) in order to experience one's Divinity. Then one would
be able to experience the Mahavakya, Tat twam asi which
means "That thou Art," (You are God), as well as to
experience, "Poornamadah, Poornamidam, Poornath Poorna
Mudhacyathe" - "That is full. This is full."

"Ayam Atma Brahma," a Mahavakya, means this Atma is
Brahman. What is Prajnanam Brahmaf It is not derived
through study; it is "Constant Integrated Awareness"; total
awareness is God. For example, I tell you that this is a cloth
(Swami holds up a folded handkerchief); this is not awareness
(prajnanam). But once you open it up, it is total awareness;
total awareness is not a segment. Total understanding is the
nature of Brahman that exists within everyone. Ignorance is not
our true nature, but we are covered by the ash of ignorance like
a live ember is covered by ash. The ash has its origin in the
fire only, but if you blow away the ash, you would be enabled
to see the fire. The fire of Divine awareness is always shining,

but the woridly desires cover this Divinity. If you blow away
the ashes of woridly desires, prajnanam would result.

Take for example a tree full of birds. How can one get rid
of those noisy creatures making a mess all over? One should
clap his hands loudly and wake them up. Similarly, in this tree
of life, there are birds of desires that make the heart impure. In
order to cleanse it, sing bhajans and chant the names of Rama
and Krishna.

April 12, 1996


        8

DEVOTION, SACRIFICE AND SURRENDER

First Baba sang:

"Om sarva bhavantu sukhinah,
	(Om, may all beings be happy)
Sarve santhu nirmaya,
	(May all beings be free of disease and ill fortune)
Sarve badrani pashyanthu,
	(May all beings see only that which is holy, beautiful,
	auspicious and blessed)
Makascid dukhabhag bhavet."
	(May none be unhappy; may inauspiciousness not prevail)

Embodiments of Divine Love,

Bhagavan wishes that you all should be happy, safe, secure
and enjoy longevity. Although today man is practicing devotion
to God, it is in vain as he is not practising ethical and moral
values. Why does man not practice ethical and moral values?
The reason is the selfishness that has been in man's heart for
many lifetimes. Everyone has a selfish motive in whatever he
thinks or does. We love a person not for that person's sake, but
for our own sake. We love the material objects too only for our
selfish reasons. In this material age such peculiarities are
increasing, but human values are declining. Man today is
behaving like a demon criticizing and attacking everyone. He
does not care to follow God's will. In every field one is

entertaining narrow-mindedness. One must sacrifice one's
selfish individual desires in order to attain the Divine state.

In man three transformations are necessary, that are
indicated by the letters SAI. "S" stands for spiritual change;
"A" stands for associational change (society); and "I" stands for
individual change. With the changes in these three the country
too would change. Without individual transformation society
cannot change and if society doesn't change, spirituality cannot
develop. When man is defective, society too becomes defective
as every individual is a part of the society. So one must
sacrifice, think of God and lead a Divine life rather than
following a narrow pathway. Today the downfall of Bharat
(India) is the result of the multiplication of individual desires.
As man is wildly running after wealth and is drowned in
mundane worldly affairs, he is deluded, having -forgotten
Divinity altogether. As a result, his life is now a total waste.
Today, human beings are without human qualities. They are
human in form only, merely acting. Man has only part-time,
temporary devotion, as he is not praying whole -heartedly. Man
should not forget his Divine state and that God is the goal of
his life. Man is full of anxiety and is degrading himself into an
animal instead of upgrading himself to the Divine stature, thus
man is proceeding in a reverse direction. Forgetting God and
considering worldly comforts above God, man falls into
illusion. Thus one finds the man, but only in appearance not in
his behavior. He acts like a devotee, speaks like a devotee but
selfishness is the underlying factor. Therefore, there is no peace
at the individual and social levels, the characteristic of this
modern age. Although science has progressed due to many
scientific inventions, all of man's senses are out of control.

What is the use of science without self control? Scientists today
have forgotten the cause and the basis of the universe. Every
person must develop devotion and sacrifice to attain the Divine
state.

In Tamil Nadu there have been many good men. Highly
educated men have been in Chola King's regime and court
kings are fond of horses. Once there was a Tamil king who
loved horses so much that he sent his Prime Minister abroad to
purchase them. During his journey the minister met a holy man
named Thinikannan and was inspired by his teachings. After
some time, as the Prime Minister did not return with the horses
the king discovered that the money given to buy the horses had
been invested to build a Shiva temple. The king had him
arrested and placed in prison and questioned him as to what he
had done with the money. The minister replied, " Money is the
gift of God. It is out of the grace of God that every limb in
one's body moves. Not even a blade of grass can move without
His will. Out of the macrocosm has come this microcosm (the
body). Oh king! of what use is all of one's intelligence. What
is the end result of our existence? You do not understand Oh
king! that by virtue of some good luck you have become a
king. Out of misfortune, I have become only a minister. I
should offer my all to God." It is only when the knowledge of
spiritual ideals spread that the human qualities will blossom in
mankind. Just as a lotus blooms/so does our heart brighten like
a lotus when we think of God. It was with this feeling that I
spent all the money to build a temple for God. For all things in
the world, man's mind is responsible. Man will only become
free, when he turns his mind more and more to God. Man must
do sadhana (spiritual practices). We have valuable gems in

Bharthiya culture. Follow them. .If every individual becomes
transformed, only then Bharat can become the ideal for the
whole world. Since then the minister began composing verses
on God. Many of his verses are available under the name
"Thiru Vacharam." His verses shine like gems. The name of the
minister who wrote the verses is Manicka Vashakar. Everyone
should be like this minister.

Today man has no love for God. He loves only his wife,
children, wealth and property. Right from his birth to his death
he is involved only with his family, so he is unable to
accomplish anything. If people are only after wealth and not
God, then they are only behaving like devils  a slave to
money. Though man spends all his time in amassing unlimited
wealth, he dies in restlessness. What is he going to take with
him when he goes? He cannot even take a handful of dust. He
should spend at least a moment thinking of God, rather than
always thinking of his wealth and property. Since one does not
think of God, he has forgotten his human qualities. Out of the
twenty- four hours in the day, spend at least five minutes on
thoughts of God. Most are not able to concentrate on the Lotus
Feet of God for even one second. How can anyone earn Peace
or Bliss without God? One is able to experience Divine Bliss
only through thinking of God. Sacred words should come from
one's heart and one should perform sacred services with his
body. This is the only way to obtain purity and give value to
one's body. The harmony of the trinity (tri-karana suddhi):
thoughts, words and deeds, has to be practiced to obtain inner
purity. Chitababu, (the speaker who spoke prior to Sai Baba's
discourse) said that seva (selfless service) and Prema (Divine
Love) are the two main things in life. When you ride a bicycle,

two wheels are necessary to give balance. Two wings are
necessary for a bird to fly. Likewise, every human being can
fly from earth to heaven through the sacred tasks of seva and
Prema.

Desires are burdens which pull us down. Take the example
of natural cotton. It is light and weightless so it floats up into
the air. When it is woven into cloth it falls down due to weight.
If you separate the threads, they would float upwards due to
lightness. The heart which should float up towards God gets
heavy due to worldly desires which pull him down towards
self-destruction. If the heart is not possessed with desires, it is
able to fly up. Less luggage, more comfort makes travel a
pleasure. Now man desires air-conditioning in his bedroom,
dining room as well as his bathroom. There is no end to bodily
comforts. Man cries when he has to spend one rupee on incense
sticks, but wastes hundreds of rupees sitting in clubs playing
cards for pleasure. Having been born as a human (and heir to
God's infinite Peace), man has much mental agitation. In this
modem age many changes have occurred. Though the latest
equipment and conveniences are available, man's mind has not
changed. Without correct mental transformation, man is not a
true human being.

It is not the coming new year but one's past actions that
are responsible for all the profits and losses that man would
experience and we are suffering now due to our own bad past
actions. Our good deeds bring good results. Sankara prayed to
God as "Kaalatitaya." (The one who is the cause of time and
who also transcends time). Do not waste time. Time is our life;
time is our soul; time is God. So we should not waste time. We

should use the five sense organs given by God for the purpose
for which they were given. Use these organs with Divine
thoughts. Do not give up your daily tasks and business (or any
profession); offer all acts to God and then only Bharat would
be able to change. In ancient times Bharat was the spiritual
leader of the whole world and Bharathiya's had broad feelings
and prayed for the welfare of the entire world, "Loka samastha
sufano bhavanta" - "Let all be happy." If one has the feeling
he is dedicating all services to God, India will set a good
example for other countries.

In the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Geetha, Krishna said if a
devotee offers a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water to God with
love, God will accept u. These symbolize the following: The
leaf is one's body, the flower is one's heart, the water is the
tears of bliss when one contemplates God and the fruit is one's
mind. One should offer these to God. Since man primarily
considers his body he gets intrigued by may a. Your body is the
container that has been given in order to serve God. You
should fill it up with the water of Love, then you would be able
to broaden your heart. The name of man manava means "not
new." "Ma," means illusion, and "nava" means one who has
birth and death. You have continuously laid in your mother's
womb life after life. You must understand the purpose of life.
Is it to go abroad to become educated and earn plenty of
money to provide for the dependants? Today man does not
understand the nature of sacrifice. Peace which is so valuable
is within man but he is unable to enjoy it. Each moment one's
heart should bloom with Divine feelings. Every moment is new,
so one need not wait for the New Year to begin spiritual
practice. New Year's Day is not meant only for eating a heavy

elaborate meal and sweets, holding festivals and buying new
clothes. Man is ancient. He should inquire, into "Who am I?,"
understand his nature, experience the Atma and after doing so,
learn to sacrifice. The body is only for identity, and the Atma
is the one to do the sacrifice. Divine Love is the most
important attribute for man to cultivate the principle of oneness.
But human behaviour today is worse than that of animals.
Animals have a season whereas man has no season. Man is
God's property; what is the use of a life that is not surrendered
to God? See everyone you meet as a form of Love. Today the
world is in a bad state. As his wealth expands, man is
deteriorating. He should dedicate his life to God. The life you
have has been given by God and not by your ancestors, like the
property you inherit from them. God-given life should be used
for the service of God. If one cannot do this, there is no life for
him. To remedy this situation develop Love; make your heart
full of Love and spread and share that Love with all. That is
worship. Sai's property is Love. Bhagavan's entire life consists
of Divine Love. Bhagavan only goes on giving and giving.
Practice at least one of His Teachings. You say you are a
devotee, but you have no right to call yourself a devotee of
God unless you give at least part of your God-given love to
others. One is a zero in practice, but a hero in words only. One
should have unity in thought, word and action. At least for ten
minutes practice silence and think of Swami's teachings. The
world is like a magnet, full of atoms having magnetism but
God is the biggest Magnet. We must develop the habits of a
true devotee to be attracted by God, to get attracted by the
magnet God. Be attracted only to God; then only you can call
yourself an aspirant. The world changes, but God never

changes. If you follow God you will become nearer and dearer
to Him and then you will realize true happiness.

Where there is Love there is no pain. Listen to the example
of this army officer. One day when his wife was ill, he cooked
and carried food to her in the hospital. Usually when he returns
home from work, all the housework such as cooking and
cleaning has been done by his wife. But now, even though he
was tired, he had all the strength and patience to serve her.
Where did that strength come from to do all this work? The
strength came from his love for his wife. If the love for a
human being can produce so much energy, how much more
should love of God produce? By nourishing the love for God
man gets profuse energy to do service.

In forests there are wild animals like tigers and lions.
Saints and rishis live there, but the animals do not trouble
them, because these saints are full of Love. So develop the
spiritual qualities of Divine Love and Equanimity. This was the
type of practice in ancient times in India, but today man is full
of cruelty. One must only give and take love. If you act with
anger, the reaction will be anger. This knowledge is the sacred
gift of the New Year. God's New Year gift to you is Love.
Accept everything  love, hate, anger, etc., equally. In Tamil
Nadu state on New Year's Day, they make a dish for the feast
containing all tastes  sweet, sour, bitter and hot. This is
symbolic that one should be able to enjoy happiness and endure
sadness equally. You must realize that events do not take place
as you wish, but as God wishes. If God's wish is to give you
pain, you suffer; to give you pleasure, you enjoy. The entire
world consists of sour, bitter and sweet, all mixed together;

accept it. Both pleasure and pain should be accepted as God's
gifts. Follow God's commands and you will attain Divinity.
Iron gets attracted to and sticks to magnets. If you stay close to
God, you will become one with God. The purpose of human
life is to understand the unity of the individual and God. In
your spare time think only of God. As you become nearer and
dearer to God, you will feel Bliss. Bliss has no limits; it is
infinite.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Prema Muditha
Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama, Ram. "

April 13, 1996, Tamil Nadu New Year.



        9

THE NAME OF GOD IS "I"

Embodiments of Divine Love,

Trees yield fruit only as a service for mankind; no tree eats
its own fruit. Rivers flow to help others; the river does not
quench its own thirst. Cows do not drink their own milk; they
give their milk away for the health of others.

Why has the human body been gifted to man? Man takes
a human body only to serve the needy and poor. Today all over
the world there exists misery, restlessness and deprivation. All
these are against true human nature. No governments or
weapons have been able to solve these problems. We must
install God in the altar of our hearts. The entire mankind
depends on God's grace for everything. The world can be saved
by God alone; man must have confidence in God's grace.
Everyone must fill his heart with Love and render service to his
fellowmen.

Right from the ordinary man to the saint, everyone must
search for Truth. How? We must search for Truth by inquiring
into one's own thoughts and actions. As all are sparks of the
one Divine Truth, everyone has the right to search for Truth
that is changeless. We must adopt and practice that which will
not hurt anyone.

One may search for Truth through understanding three
things: Truth, untruth and fact. All that we find in the world is
a fact, but Truth is fundamental, cosmic. For example right

from the scientist to the ordinary man, if you ask anyone where
the sun rises and sets, he will answer that it rises in the east
and sets in the west. This is not the Truth, but only a fact. If
you know the Truth, the sun neither rises nor sets but as the
earth revolves, we get east and west. The sun does not move
but to consider that it moves is untruth.

The eye is very small, yet it is able to see the entire
universe. The same pair of eyes see everyone, but the feelings
when it sees the mother, daughter or a friend are all different.
Though the vision is the same, the feelings are different. The
manner of looking and the feelings one should have towards the
mother should always be respectful. One feels affection towards
one's daughter and endearment towards one's wife. Thus
relationship determines the type of looks or feelings one has
towards another.

So what is Truth? Truth is Love though the vision may be
distorted. Unfortunately visions and feelings are all impure due
to seeing diversity as the Truth. We should understand what
type of vision we should have; and when, where and how we
should use this vision. This knowledge is essential in the search
for Truth.

There is no mistake in creation; it is God's creation and no
one can change it. One has to change one's vision to experience
Truth. Whatever one utters with his tongue is heard with the
ears. One's ears have been gifted to listen to good things; man
hears music, good sounds, harsh words, etc. One should learn
to discriminate in what one speaks and hears. We should speak
softly and sweetly. Oh, tongue! how sacred you are. You are
the embodiment of sacrifice; you do not keep food in the

mouth, but immediately pass it on down the throat. How sacred
and highly respected you are! Oh tongue! it is not your innate
quality to criticize.

Everything is God's creation. When one wears blue tinted
glasses everything appears to be blue. There is no mistake in
creation, one needs only to remove one's glasses. One need not
search for God as He is everywhere in everything. Man
searches for Truth in all fields. There is only one God although
He is called by different names such as Jesus, Allah and Rama.
All of the thousands of names are His so there is no question
of search. Search applies to the world but Truth is infinite and
never narrow. We do sahasranama (chanting of God's 1008
names); this is a narrow approach as all names are His. There
is no name or form in the universe that does not belong to
Him. The creation has emerged from Truth which is pure and
unsullied. Wherever there is Truth, there is God. Love and
Truth emanate from the heart but to realize this one must love
Divinity with a compassionate heart. Today one's heart is like
a solid stone. The fashion today is to have no compassion. The
heart is called "hrudaya," which means "filled with
compassion." Since man lacks compassion today, wicked acts
are on the increase. There is restlessness and lack of peace
everywhere because of attachment and differences and the
individual feelings of "I" and "mine." Everyone should have
faith in the Divine to develop compassion and to eradicate
worldly attachments, differences and feelings of "I" and "mine."

We call ourselves "I" but what is this "I"? This "I" is the
title of God. Right from birth everyone is saying "I," so

everyone has within himself this title of God. The Mahavakya
(one of four great statements epitomizing the Vedas) "Aham
Brahmasmi" states - "I am God." In Sanskrit "I" is Aham. God
does not only mean the names Rama, Krishna and Hari. He is
the Truth whether one is a doctor or a lawyer or a
businessman; all of these are saying "I". If you ask a beggar,
"Who are you?" and you ask a king, "Who are you?" they will
reply, "I am a beggar," and "I am a king." So know the Self. In
today's world, "I" is always associated with a form, but "I "
does not refer to the body; "I" is God. Mankind today is living
a totally ego-based life though it is incorrect to assume "I" as
the ego. Man is full of divisions and perversions such as birth,
growth and death but the true "I" never changes.

Life in the body changes, is subject to diseases, dies and
therefore it is not permanent. From moment to moment it gives
off foul smells and is dirty and full of matter like bones and
nerves. Surrender this body at the Feet of the Lord who resides
therein. One can attain Divinity only through properly using the
instruments of body, mind and intellect. With the body, so long
as we have life, we must say and realize "Soham"- "I am He,"
and also "Tat ThwamAsi" - That Thou art. These days since no
one understands "soham" everyone is in misery. If we make an
inquiry into the value of the body, we will know that it is very
low. Every cell and atom in the body keeps on changing. If you
keep a pickle in a jar it would last for one year, whereas if you
eat the pickle it will spoil in two hours. In a flour mill you
grind dhal, rice or wheat into flour. The human body may be
compared to a grinding mill. If you place fruits and other foods
into this mill of the body, everything becomes waste matter. Is
a flour mill not better than a human body as a machine?

The human body can be compared to a machine in which
the three aspects, yantra, mantra and tantra can be found . In
this machine, the name of God is the mantra, the procedures
and techniques of the heart are the tantra and the body is the
yantra. Human life consists of a combination of these three.
The heart is the tantra acting like a switchboard. The mantra
"soham" which means "I am God" is the sound that comes
from the sushumna nadi. Each person says soham 21,600 times
a day from the heart. Whenever we chant mantras like "Om
Namah Shivaya" we are repeating them not from the heart but
parrot-like and artificially. Although the japamala is in our
hands our minds are out in the marketplace. We murmur
Shanti, Shanthi as words at the physical and mental levels,
while it is the heart that needs Peace. When we feel peaceful,
we chant Om,Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi, slowly but when we are
agitated we shout Om, Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi at great speed.
We are not enjoying Peace at the physical, mental and spiritual
levels because our lives and penance today are all artificial.

Today all of the Malayalis (refers to persons who speak an
Indian dialect and reside in South India) are celebrating the
New Year with full festivity. Most festivals last only for one
day but you should always develop sacred thoughts, not only
on festival days. You should have the faith that you are the
embodiment of Supreme Eternal Bliss and have the fortitude to
tolerate all troubles and anxieties that come in the way. You
seek comforts like air conditioning, comfortable sofas, good
food, etc, but these are not the true comforts. True comfort is
with God who confers Supreme Happiness. What is
Brahmananda? It is a state of Supreme Happiness, Nondual,
Eternal  Spirit,  Immovable,  Eternal  witness,  beyond

Comprehension and Attributeless. All these attempt to explain
the nature of Brahman.

When man has all the worldly comforts, the resultant stage
is only the happiness of man. The Bliss of God in
Gandharvananda (a celestial state of being) is a hundred times
more. Beyond Gandharvananda is Brahaspatierananda, which
confers a hundred times more Bliss. A hundred times more than
this is Prajapateirananda', a hundred times more is
Hiranyagarbhananda. In the word Hiranyagarbhananda,
"Hiranya" means "gold." Just as pure gold would not tarnish,
Hiranyagarbhananda, a part of Brahmananda, is the highest
Bliss. That which changes from moment to moment is untruth.
The changeless Truth is in your heart and all of these states of
Bliss are in your heart. Happiness is worldly while Bliss is
Divine. Happiness keeps changing; one may eat food and
experience happiness, but after two hours one is hungry again.
"Santosha" means having happiness only for sometime.

The physical heart is on the left side while the spiritual
heart is on the right side. The left is left. After sometime leave
the left, that is, the physical and material life and follow only
the right, not the left. Fill your heart with good thoughts and
feelings. All worldly education is just to earn a living. What
university did the birds and beasts attend? The purpose of true
education is to attain Bliss. When the year is full of Love with
sacred thoughts and acts, that is the New Year, not the day of
celebrations with sweet desserts and new clothes.

One should not have hatred toward any religion. All are
one so be alike to everyone; you should respect all. Whoever

you respect, it amounts to respecting God. If you criticize
anyone, you are criticizing the God who is their reality. All
religions, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity teach only what is
good. Every Hindu should be a good Hindu; in fact, a better
Hindu. If a Muslim hates a Hindu, he is no Muslim. On this
occasion of the New Year, remember that God is One. The
three things to keep in mind are: Don't forget God, don't rely
on the world, and don't be afraid of death. These three are
important. Death is something you must face some day, so
don't worry, face it bravely. Be ready to die, but never leave
(forget) God. Do not believe in the world because it is
continuously changing. You cannot travel in a boat made of
stones because it would sink. In this changing world, God is the
only Truth. Rather than criticizing anyone, develop your love
more and more. Do not pray for the individual "I" only. Here
is a cloth woven with threads. Even if the form changes, the
original cotton does not change. Likewise, in this changing
world, there is something that does not change. The world is
one large house and India is a room. All of the countries can
be seen as different rooms. There are no differences in the
rooms; only they are separated by the walls. One may be used
to having a livingroom, a diningroom and a bathroom, but if
the walls are removed, there would be one big room. Cut off
the walls of attachments to "me" and " mine" and have faith in
one Divinity. Truth is one, but it is referred to in different
ways.

When some people declare that they have no God, you tell
them that they may not have a God, but you have a God. You
must have steady, strong faith. If anyone says there is no God
and you agree and say yes, you are weak. Faith is God. Never

lose faith. Those that deny God are unwittingly staling that God
does exist. When one declares that there is no God the very
fact that he is saying "There is" means that he is
acknowledging that existence. Bharathiya (Indian) culture is
full of Bliss. The Vedas belong not only to India but to the
entire world.

Om saha navavatu
Saha nau bhunaktu,
Saha veeryam karavaavahai,
Tejas vinaavadheet amastu,
Maa vidvishaa ahai.
Om, shanti, shanti, shanti!

(Om, May the Lord protect us,
May He cause us to enjoy,
May we exert together,
May our studies be thorough and faithful.
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace!)

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Sathyam,
Jnanam,Anantham Brahma", "Govinda Krishna Jai," "Gopala
Krishna Jai" and "Subramanyam Subramanyam."

April 14, 1996


        10

AVAIL YOURSELF OF THIS RARE CHANCE TO BE SAVED

Embodiments of Divine Love,

One cannot know what would happen in this world from
one moment to the next. The world is continuously changing
like passing clouds, like flowers that drop from a plant. But the
state of Truth is changeless and omnipresent. What sort of
changes should a human life undergo; where and how should
it go? The stage of youth is only an interval, a passing stage;
wealth, jobs and positions also change. Money tends to make
human qualities unsacred, since more arrogance and ego
develop with the accumulation of money. When there is no
wealth there is not much ego.

All relationships such as that between husband and wife
are temporary. They were not with one another in the beginning
and eventually would both disappear. It was time and destiny
that brought them together. However, Truth and Love are
permanent and Divine. Truth is God. Love expresses itself in
all of us. Love proves the existence of Divinity. Love is God.
Live in love. God was there before creation and was the energy
for creation. In the beginning there was only consciousness and
God was responsible for the entire creation. The evidence for
this is in the sacred texts, the Vedas. The culture of Bharat
must share this Divine Wisdom with the entire world. In this
sacred land of Bharat forbearance adds to Divine beauty.
Adherence to Truth is the highest form of Prema (Divine

Love). The sweetest feeling is the motherly teeling. ine
predominant trait of this land is that character is more
important than life. Now, unfortunately we are imitating foreign
countries. Like an elephant that has submitted itself to a mouse,
India does not recognise its own strength and power. The
culture of Bharat is spiritually highly powerful and valuable,
but because of modern education and culture, all sacred values
are on the decline. In ancient times, the Bharathiyas began the
day contemplating on the nature of the creator, sustainer and
dissolver. In all matters including the building of houses,
marriages or other ceremonies and customs they first thought
of God. We have now forgotten the Primal basis and we are
taking this ephemeral world as permanent. We should think of
God first in every matter, from the time we arise from bed until
we sleep, but unfortunately we are now drowned in worldly
pleasures. Spiritual life is not one of solitude. Spirit has been
designed to experience the unity of the entire human race and
the Divinity thereafter.

Take the example of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Though
they were cousins there were big differences between them.
The Pandavas considered God as everything, that whatever
actions they performed were dharmic and that whatever they
said was the truth. They always considered God first, the world
next and themselves last. Krishna was first for them in all
matters and they believed that whatever happened was
Krishna's plan. Arjuna had intense faith in Krishna who was his
only refuge. The Kauravas were the opposite in that they
considered themselves first, .the world next and God last. Thus
Pandavas were victorious since they kept God first. In all acts

and thoughts of the Kauravas there was no Truth and they had
lost the farsighted vision.

Today spirituality has become ridiculous. Devotees are
afraid to have vibuthi (holy ash) on their foreheads. From
where has the world come without God? God and creation have
the relationship of cause and effect. As one's body has been
gifted for righteous action every person must do righteous acts.
As an iron machine when not in use becomes rusty, man
without work becomes dull. Determine to render service to
society. Your happiness depends on the happiness of society.
Human life has to be redeemed through the path of action. Sai
has advocated worship and wisdom. Although you may not get
the work you love, love the work you get.

In the word SAI, S stands for Service, A for Adoration and
I for Illumination. All must attain these three states. Every
person should involve himself in action. Nowadays we consider
a person lucky if he only eats and does nothing but this is most
unfortunate. Birth is action. Everything is action. We think that
action is work but this is not true. Seeing and breathing are also
actions. A human being has been born due to action, grows in
action and returns for another birth in action. Even though one's
actions are responsible for one's pleasures and pain,
unfortunately man today is not understanding this and
discharging his duties properly. Happiness and Bliss are derived
through actions. Since ancient times Bharatiyas had attached
great importance to service for society. One's body has been
given only for service. Since it is from one's own actions that
one get reactions, resounds and reflections, it is for one's own
sake that one does service. If you lead your life like oil on

water it is like a dead life. Thinking of God is most essential
as He is the first cause of creation. The entire universe is the
gift of God. All are Divine; everything is Divine. We should
have strong faith in God, but man has lost this faith. When man
gets his desires fulfilled he extols God, but when they are not
fulfilled he blames Him. We sow poisonous seeds and yet
desire sweet fruits. God is the witness. He only confers Bliss as
He is Bliss. You yourself create your own misery as a result of
reaction, resound and reflection. Divinity remains pure and
unsullied but as a sign of his weakness man blames God. Due
to their weakness the Kauravas continued to blame Krishna for
their misery. To make devotees happy, God Himself suffers.
God is ready for anything and performs acts we cannot
conceive of. We cannot know what He is able to do for us.

There are so many ideals in Bharat. One great devotee of
Krishna named Kuchela was so poor that he could afford only
a very small house. God Himself made a more suitable home
for Kuchela who was suffering tremendously. Kabir the poet
was a weaver of cloth. As he wove his cloth, he continuously
chanted God's name; Ram, Ram, Ram. As God was his sole
support he overcame his poverty. Only experienced devotees
know that if one surrenders, he will not suffer due to God's
grace. True devotees will resist trouble, stay attached to God
and move ahead towards God. Many obstacles do come when
we try to reach God, yet we should have faith and face them.
Don't give up until your desires are fulfilled. Retreat is not a
sign of a devotee. Exert yourself to earn God's grace; have
great determination and faith, then your desire will be fulfilled.
Faith is the cause for everything. Faith will make you say yes
or no. Baba says "yes" to those who say "'yes"; He says "no" to

those who say "no." To Sai everything is "yes." You should
never give up God who is Love and Truth which are
permanent. Although there is only one God names and forms
are different. Though flowers are different, worship is one. To
know Divinity you must have faith. Everything is His.

Narada sang, "Krishna can we know You? You are smaller
than the smallest and bigger than the macrocosm. You are all
over the universe in the company of fifty-four lakhs of people.
Among thieves you are the greatest thief. You steal the hearts
of devotees'- "Chitta chora Yasoda ke bal." Chitta (heart) is
sacred. Where is God? Eshwara is to be found in a place called
Himachala. "Hima" means soft, white and bright snow.
"Achala" means immovable, stable. Likewise to attain Divinity,
the human heart should be pure and steady. Purify it and keep
it peaceful and equanimous. If it is hot with anger, how can
you attain Divinity? You should give up bad qualities. God is
always with you and around you and those who deserve Him
will attain Him. Even though God is so near, still many do not
receive what He wants to give. Even though God has now
descended in human form we doubt Him. Why? Because we
compare. What about God's Love? It is infinite, so He is the
blue - coloured one. Rama and Krishna were called blue
colored, signifying that it is not possible to understand their
power and Love. Blue is the colour of the sky which is infinite
and the ocean is blue signifying that no one knows it's depth.
If you hold the water in your hand, that water is colourless.

At one time when baby Krishna had eaten mud, Balarama
complained and so Yasoda asked Him why He should eat mud
when there are milk and curd at home. Krishna replied, "No, I

did not eat mud. Am I a child not to understand and eat mud?"
Yasoda slapped Him and asked him to open His mouth. When
Krishna opened His mouth all fourteen worlds could be seen
inside His mouth. Yasoda asked, " Is it a dream? Is it God's
will? Is it true? Am I Yasoda or not? Is He Krishna? Is this an
illusion? What mystery is all this?" Immediately when these
thoughts manifested, she bugged Krishna. God, when He
comes, wears illusion. Although Krishna is known as God,
illusion covers Him. Just as ash covers a fire, cataract covers
the eye, moss covers the lake, so too, God covers Himself with
illusion. The cataract is from the eye, moss grows from water
and the cloud has come as a result of the sun. God or Brahman
has maya as His vesture or illusion. With the body as illusion,
He manifests infinite power. He will make you experience
Divinity, so you should have full faith in Him. Rama always
said that he is the son of Dasaratha even though the Sages told
Him he was Narayana, and even though He is satshatkara
Bhagavan. Rama always asked Sita "Am I God?." When He
was alone with Sita He would tell her, "Demons must be killed
so this entire drama has to be enacted though it is limited to the
stage only. What is behind the stage? This can be .understood
only by rishis and sages like Vasistha and Vishwamitra.

The Sages knew the Divinity of Rama but could not
publicize it. If Sita had not been abducted, it would not have
been possible to kill Ravana. Sage Agasthya had sent Rama and
Sita to live in Panchavati because he knew Rama had the
intention to kill Ravana and the demons. Everything happened
when they went to Panchavati. The Sages knew the master plan
as they had pure hearts and full faith. Since Vishwamithra had
the spirit of sacrifice, he took Rama to Mithila and had His

marriage performed. This was part of the masterplan. God is
beyond the senses. Divinity is consciousness, but we think from
the bodily perspective. We can only understand Divinity when
we go beyond the senses.

Swami says:

"Twameva Mata Cha Pita Twameva,
        (You are my Mother and Father)
Twameva Bandhu Cha Sakha Twameva
        (You are Friend and Relative)
Twameva Vidya Dravinam Twameva
        (You are the Highest Knowledge and Wealth)
Twameva Sarvam mama Deva Deva"
        (You are Everything)

Why should Sai Baba be in action? I have no need to act.
Yet, unless I act no one would be able to follow Me. I have to
be an ideal for mankind. When God fills the entire universe,
how can you construct a temple for Him? When He is
Effulgence Itself, is a lamp necessary? When God moves in all
waters, is it possible to give Him a bath? When He is present
in all stomachs is it possible to give Him food? What more do
you want conveyed? Even angels cannot know and understand
Him, as it is so difficult to understand Divinity. Follow your
conscience and the commands of God and forget yourself. By
doing your duty all your desires will be fulfilled. The main
quality of a devotee is to follow God's command immediately
without having to be told and re-told. There was a person who
committed theft all the time and was in prison. After a six
months stay, the guard declared that he is released. The thief

replied, " Why should I take my luggage, I will be coming
back"? We have been born once, we should not be born once
again. So develop God's Love; never forget God. Think of God
continuously. Human life is rare. Human life is the highest in
all of creation. Having taken human birth, if you do not redeem
yourself, you have lived in vain.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Govinda Gopala
Prabhu Giridhari. "

April 15, 1996


        11

SECULAR AND SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE

Embodiments of Divine Love,

All knowledge is comprised of the material (secular) and
the spiritual. Vidya means full knowledge of every thing. The
ordinary type of knowledge teaches an individual the daily
routines and how to use his limbs. Not only reading and
writing, but everything one does from childhood until old age
relates to vidya. All that one attends to from day to day using
one's five senses of perception depends on vidya. However, true
vidya comprises spiritual knowledge. Human beings can only
enjoy the peace of the Atma (spirit) when they practice penance
and develop wisdom.

To comprehend Atma Vidya one must practice self-
inquiry and through inquiry see the special nature of the mind
and the intellect. This special knowledge pertains to the spirit
and the inner, subtle senses and feelings. A person is able to
develop the power of renunciation due to the combination of
mental and spiritual knowledge. By merely practicing penance
alone without control of the senses one cannot realize anything
fruitful. The relationship then between knowledge and penance
is like the positive and negative; it is related to the inner subtle
body guarding the outer physical body. Education relates to the
body, penance to the Spirit. The body has been gifted for
selfless good actions; one need not be highly educated to use
his body for proper action. So, we need both spiritual and
formal knowledge to lead a fulfilling, purposeful life.

What is the meaning of penance? Penance does not mean
living in solitude in the forest practicing pranayama (breath
control), fasting, etc. The ancients protected the body by eating
fruits and the tubers so the state of the body was different than
today. Today man's body is weak, his habits are all wrong, thus
he does not realize his Divine power. Penance purifies the inner
senses which are different from the aspect of the mind (chitta)
which recapitulates, memorises, questions and enquires. Man is
a bundle of thoughts, a combination of thoughts and counter
thoughts.

Buddhi or intellect is another aspect of the mind, the
faculty of discrimination. From the intellect one's ego develops
and grows. All persons say "I" (the personal "I" is the ego
sense). The antahkarana (the inner subtle equipment) is a
combination of mind, intellect and ego. To attain purity of
intellect one must undertake thapas (penance). True penance is
sacrificing one's evil thoughts, habits and actions and
cultivating harmony of one's thoughts, words and deeds and
proper behaviour. The power of penance is demonstrated by
one's food habits. The unnatural, artificial food we eat today
leads to unsteadiness in meditation so our spiritual practices are
in vain. If we wish to prepare idly and sambar (steamed rice
balls and soup) we must purchase fresh vegetables, dhal
(lentils), tamarind and spices such as salt and chili powder. All
of these should be pure and clean including the vessels for the
preparation of food. To know and practise these habits is
knowledge (vidya). The cook may be an expert in preparing
food but if the vessel is not tinned the food may become
poisonous. For those on the spiritual path, purity of mind and

thought, word and action are essential. Worldly knowledge is
only one aspect of vidya. Any human being can stay in one
position or stand for an extended period of time without much
exertion but in order to run he has to exert himself far more.
This is natural for the body, but not for the mind. The mind is
able to run fast naturally, but cannot remain stable or quiet for
long. We should develop equipoise between the body and the
mind. The mind should be stable but the body should run
(perform exercise). One is able to gain experience of the Divine
only through his body. Man truly has infinite power; he is like
a generator. The body is like a powerful magnet full of Divine
attraction. The body/mind is like a television or a radio in that
it is able to tune into a multiplicity of events. All Divine
powers in nature are within the human body which is a
reflection of the Divine.

We are presently wasting the Divine powers within us by
talking and listening too much to impure things which lead to
mental agitation and emotional imbalance. When the radio is
switched on, we hear the music due to some units of current
being used. Time is wasted through listening to all the impure
talks, and one's senses may become agitated. Also everyone
around is affected by the radio broadcasts since light travels
long distance in waves of Divine energy.

Divine magnetic attraction is present in all the five
elements. This is demonstrated by the magnet's power to attract
the iron and make the iron stick on as though they are one. One
cannot hold back the attracted object. How can one separate
himself from impurity? Do not listen to bad talk, don't indulge
in bad talk, don't perform bad actions. One can escape from all

of these and gain spiritual Bliss by running away from bad
company and having limited talk.

The sage Vasistha was highly knowledgeable and full of
wisdom and penance. On the other hand, Vishwamitra was full
of wisdom and penance, but due to repeated fluctuations of his
mind and emotions, he had to charge and recharge his energy
very often. One day a competition was arranged to determine
which of the two was greater; wisdom or penance. It was
accepted that among all types of education, wisdom is supreme.

In the Epic Ramayana, Vasishta was the family priest.
Once Dasaratha asked him why he should keep the position of
a priest as he was not lacking anything and was full of
penance. Vasishta after having experienced a Divine vision
replied, "Oh king!, I have not come here for worldly position
or status. I deserve nothing. I am working here because God
will soon be born in this house and I wish to have His darshan
(seeing), sparshan (touching) and sambashan (talking with, and
spending time in His company)." Vasishta had knowledge and
Truth. Vishwamitra, on the other hand, did penance but not the
penance of the inner senses. Every sage acknowledged that
Vasishta was a Brahamarishi, but no one called Vishwamitra
a Brahmarishi. Vishwamitra was a Rajarishi (one who is
emotional), though he desired to be a Brahmarishi (one who is
Divine) like Vasishta.

In the competition between Vasishta and Vishwamitra,
Adisesha (the snake), was chosen to be the judge due to His
qualities. Adisesha bore the weight of the entire earth, had

magnificent powers and penance, all knowledge and was one
with Divinity. Adisesha agreed to be the judge on the condition
that someone took His place to support the earth. Vishwamitra
tried but he failed whereas Vasishta, due to his wisdom and
penance could keep the earth in balance.

Only the devotee and his devotion and nothing else can
bear the burden of the earth; devotion is the supreme state that
man can attain. It cures all troubles, solves all mental problems
and confers liberation. One who contemplates on God becomes
God. To attain this state one must have unity of thought, word
and deed. Vasishta conducted his life in this way but
Vishwamitra was put to shame through anger and consequently
lost his wealth and respect. Man today has largely lost his
human qualities of Truth, Love and Peace, Right Action and
Non Violence. Here is a bulb and a wire; current flows through
the wire lighting the bulb. In the same way Divine power exists
in all. If there is to be a garland, there should be someone to
make it. You may have all of the materials like flowers, needle
and thread but there should also be someone to make the
garland. You may have gold, but there should be a goldsmith
to make the jewellery. There may be a container, oil and wick,
but there should be someone to light it. Similarly, in the body
you have a mind and a heart, but it is the Divine current that
illumines them. A light could be dim due to the wattage of the
bulb; likewise the spiritual power in the body can become
weak. Our inner Divine light should shine brightly and be
developed through expressing more and more Love. When
Love grows faith too grows. View all work as God's work and
develop Love and faith. If one doubts, his faith will decrease.
Penance is the combination of unity, trinity and Divinity. But

today man does not have steady faith. For example when one
opens a tap there is an unending supply of water. God is the
tank full of unending Bliss and Love and one's devotion is the
tap. The Gopikas had a lot of devotion for Krishna and their
leader Radha had continuous devotion for Krishna. She did not
waste any of her energy but talked only of Krishna and heard
only the melodious music of Krishna. One may consider that
Radha's state is impossible to attain but it is easily reached
through taking everything as God's work.

Many of you have come from different places such as
Madras and Prashanthi Nilayam Each of you have travelled by
different means of transport such as train, bus, plane or car, so
each has taken a different amount of time to reach here
depending on the mode of transport. While travelling in an
ordinary train, one may have to shift compartments to reach his
destination. This can be compared to the bhaktipath which
involves nine forms of worship including listening to the glory
of God, chanting His names, worshipping His feet, salutations,
ritual worship, friendship, service, and surrender. In friendship
we invite our old friends to our homes and offer them
refreshments. God should be our oldest and closest friend.
Tyagaraja considered God as his oldest and best friend; old is
gold; have this type of friendship with God. Today's friendships
often depend on status and power. God is in you, with you and
around you whereas the worldly forms and events are like
passing clouds.

Divinity neither comes nor goes. God is total Love. The
following points are important to remember: in this world you
and the world are temporary, but Truth and Love are

permanent. Love is God so live in Love; Truth is God so
follow Truth. Like the two wings of a bird, Truth and Love can
make you fly to noble heights. Follow the greatest path, the
path of Love.

Everything is God only, so spend your time in Divine
sojourn. Take the example of a magnet and iron. They unite
and the iron itself becomes one with the magnet. Likewise the
knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. You are children of
immortality; you are eternal; the relationship between God and
you is eternal. The body changes through many births but the
mind, deeds, etc. continue from birth to birth. Just as an auditor
totals the accounts for the day and carries the balance onto the
next page, our mind follows to the next life. We should be able
to control that mind by first controlling the senses. Merge in
Truth and experience Oneness.

April 16, 1996


        12

YOGA

Embodiments of Divine Love,

The Vedas and Vedangas are sacred texts which reveal the
nature of God and the universe. These texts attempt to convey
to man that the mind acts as a curtain to block awareness of
Divinity. On one side of this curtain is the effect, man; on the
other side is the cause, God; the entire universe embodies this
relationship between cause and effect. The combination of the
two, God and the manifested universe, is called yoga. From
ancient times people have not correctly understood the meaning
of yoga. Yoga is a derivative of the word "yuj" which means
combination or union. Yoga does not mean doing penance in
a forest by fasting on leaves and suffering physically. In the
science of ayurveda, yoga means a combination of various
leaves or herbs which cure physical, mental, and emotional
ailments. The word samyoga means combination. In the science
of astrology, yoga is considered to be the science of the
relationship between time and the position of the stars.

Three rivers in India, the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati
unite at one point; husband and wife together form a union.
The union of two or more materials or aspects is termed yoga.
Human life consists of combination and separation, just like the
waves which rise and fall from the ocean. Human life is full of
problems like the periodic turbulence on the surface of an
ocean . The boat of the Lord's name can help one to cross the
ocean of life. Patanjali, a great Indian sage, said in his Yoga
Sutras that yoga means the control of the five senses and the

mind. Yoga also means the unification of one's thoughts, words
and actions, directing them all towards God. Through yoga,
work may be transformed into worship. Krishna has said that
doing all one's work with expertise and skill is yoga. Living in
unity with the family, earning well, doing physical exercises,
gaining pleasure and happiness are all yoga. The whole world
is yoga. As we do not understand the Divinity of yoga, we end
up in disease or roga. Man knows what is right and wrong, yet
due to his distorted intellect and because of his strong ego he
goes on the wrong path. Some people are jealous of another
person's happiness; we should follow yoga, to overcome
jealousy. True yoga is seeing the good in everything that
happens and maintaining equanimity. If one has been bitten by
a scorpion, one should be thankful that he has not been bitten
by a snake. The Bhagavad Geetha teaches many methods of
yoga. Think of the Divinity which is vast, pure and all-
pervasive and thus purify your heart.

In the Bhagavad Geetha, Arjuna, with all his knowledge
and skills, can be seeing arguing with Lord Krishna on the
battlefield. Up until a certain point Krishna did not speak to
Arjuna but when Arjuna had finished all of the arguments,
Krishna then asked him whether he had exhausted all of his
doubts. Arjuna finally became silent and surrendered to Krishna
saying, "I will follow Your commands." Krishna then replied,
"Now you are My devotee; think of Me only and I will take
care of you. In this Kali Yuga, we say that we are devotees of
Rama, Shiva or Krishna and chant Their names and thus
pretend to be close to God. But did God accept or acknowledge
that You are His devotee? God should tell you that you are His
devotee. Just as when you send a registered letter you should

receive acknowledgement that it has been received, God too
should say that He has accepted You as His devotee. Your
conscience (voice of God) will tell you whether you are a
devotee with no trace of ego. Conscience is Chit (Awareness);
Awareness is total understanding.

There are four types of yoga: karma (action), bhakti
(devotion), Jnana (wisdom) and Raja (meditation). Karma yoga
means dedicating all your good work believing it to be God's
work. You must pray with the full knowledge that God is,
everywhere asking Him, "Are you listening to my prayers and
seeing my misery?." Then we would feel His Presence and find
His two lotus Eyes. God is like your bodyguard; He is inside
you, in front of you, around you and behind you. You may
have a human bodyguard who can only walk beside you but
God says He is behind you also. Your eyes are in front, so how
can you see God behind? You cannot see God behind you
though He is there. When you look behind. He also moves
behind you, but this is delusion. So, in the yoga of action
(karma yoga) there is experience with God. As karma yoga
involves purely selfless action there should be no anticipation
of the results of actions but rather one should accept any
consequences.

Once there was an old man who had performed nishkama
karma (selfless service). He had planted a mango tree with the
hope that many people would enjoy and partake of the fruits.
When he was struggling in the heat to plant it, his son in law
was surprised at his action and asked him why he was troubling
himself. The old man replied that one's body has been gifted
for doing service. He then gave his son-in-law some coconut

water to drink which he very much relished. The old man
revealed that this coconut tree had been planted not by him but
by his father so that sometime or the other someone would
enjoy the fruits. This story exemplifies that deeds should be
performed so that others may experience goodness and
happiness in society. This is true nishkama karma yoga.

In bhakti yoga the action is performed with total Love and
sincere Divine feelings without any trace of selfishness. The
purpose of devotion is to please God who is the embodiment of
full Bliss. You don't need to say "Happy Birthday" to God
because He is full of Bliss. Say it to those who are unhappy.
God who is Bliss and Love may be compared to a big tank, the
devotion of the devotee to a pipe and his good selfless actions
to the tap. Open the tap and fill your self with Bliss and Love.
If one puts poison into the tank the water would then become
poisonous water; as is the feeling so is the expression or result.
God is the embodiment of purity so with pure Love make God
happy; this should be your duty and the goal of your life. Since
time is infinite your heart should be also broad. Don't worry
what others think of you; surrender to God.

Develop your Love. In a plain glass you cannot see your
face, but if this glass is tinted with mercury to form a mirror
you can then see your reflection. Similarly, if you have Love
in your heart you will be able to see yourself or God and gain
Self- realization. Walking is meditation, concentration on
boiling rice is meditation, reading is meditation, thinking is
meditation; your entire life consists of meditation. Everything
that comes from one's heart is reflection. If you think that
Swami is coming so let me take padnamaskar, that thought is

meditation. Awareness of the one Spirit or Atma permeating
everything, non dualism, is wisdom or jnana yoga. Names and
forms are different but God is one. Beings are many but breath
is one. There is no difference in respiration between Japanese,
German or Indian breath. Whether you are in India, Pakistan,
Germany or Japan, all are watching the same sun; it is only
seen at different times. Wisdom shines through the intellect and
mind because of devotion. When all rivers have merged into
the ocean, where are the rivers Ganga and Saraswathi? They no
longer have a distinct name and form when they have merged
into the ocean. In today's world most are proceeding selfishly.

Once there was a rich man who had plenty of factories, a
mansion, cars as well as good sons who loved and obeyed him.
When his death was approaching, they cried and told him they
would be helpless without him. The man gained enough
strength with God's grace to tell them that they would be very
comfortable with the inheritance and insurance policies he had
left for them. He went on to tell them that he did not know
what would happen to himself, and that no one seems to be
worried about it. At such a time in one's life only the name of
God can save one. If the name of God has been chanted from
early in life, it can then become implanted in the heart. It is
necessary to remember God at the end to merge with Him.

Once there was a new priest who held a bell in one hand
and the aarathi plate in the other. The moment he ran the bell
with one hand, the hand with the aarathi stopped moving. So
everything we do requires practice. In the path of wisdom
(jnana) one realizes the One Spirit or Atma permeating
everything; it requires study. Yoga is union and following

God's commands. Such an easy yoga is spoken of in confusing
ways. Few today can meditate on God in the third eye (sixth
centre or chakra) because they cannot control their minds (Raja
Yoga). Man has infinite power but he wastes it and goes in the
wrong direction. Through practicing silence man can limit
everything including his thoughts, senses and desires; in ancient
times saints went to forests to practice silence. There the
animals became friendly because the saints were full of Love
and that Love reflected back in the animals. This Love is God.
Just as a jasmine flower, spreads its fragrance everywhere, the
Love of noble souls spreads around. When you hold a rose,
whether in the right hand or left hand, its fragrance spreads.
Incense too spreads its fragrance all over. This is the difference
between yoga (union) and roga (disease). Fire which is raging
in the forest bums all the trees and does not distinguish
between a mango tree and an ordinary tree. In life though
difficulties may come do not harm anyone. Pleasure and pain
are always there; treat them alike. One must learn Yoga Vidya
(knowledge) which teaches students to develop virtues such as
discrimination, devotion, discipline, duty, etc. We are not born
with yoga vidya, but through practice we must acquire all these
aspects. With determination we must proclaim, "I will." Life is
a continuous flow, how deep and how far no one can say but
such a flow eventually merges into the ocean. This river of our
life must have two banks for control: steadfastness (Samshaya)
and faith (doubtlessness); out of steadfastness comes wisdom.
If you are filled with doubt you will be ruined; the one without
doubt will succeed. The goal of our life is to develop Love for
God; recognize this and act accordingly.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Chitta chora
Yashoda ke bal" and "Vahe Guru, Vahe Guru, Vahe Guruji
Bolo."

April 17, 1996


        13

GOD IS PERMANENT, THE WORLD IS TEMPORARY

Embodiments of Divine Love,

Let us remove all of the impurities from our minds and
install only pure, sacred thoughts therein. We will then have the
vision of wisdom that the entire universe shines as Brahman
Himself who created everything out of Love. The lasting
happiness that man desires is not of this temporary ephemeral
world which is mainly one of worry and misery. Happiness and
comforts from this world are neither stable nor permanent. It is
possible for man to attain eternal Bliss when he realizes that
the universe is the form of the Divine. He who views the world
as the world only, is a fool. "The differences lie in one's vision
and not in the creation, but man forgets the Divine feelings and
views the world only from a material perspective. All of the
apparent world should be seen only with the Divine outlook.

"The world is made up of atoms. From the macrocosm to
the microcosm there is only Divinity; God is therefore the
biggest as well as the minutest. God is within the atom and
permeates through the entire creation which consists of atoms.
If we develop sacred Divine Love we will discover Divinity in
the world.

Heads are separate so thoughts will also vary. Here is a
small story to illustrate this. Once four students visited a temple
in India. "They argued among themselves that the idol there

consists of different colours and materials. The first student saw
the idol as consisting of white marble, another as red stone, the
other as blue, and the last insisted that it was green. "They made
a very big noise while arguing as is the fashion in the modern
age, and this noise attracted the attention of the priest. He
exhorted them to maintain peace as they were in a sacred
temple. "The students then asked the priest the colour of the idol
and he replied that it is black. He said that he had been
worshipping this idol for the past twenty years so he could
certainly affirm that it is black. "The priest understood that the
students' quarrelling was due to their level of intelligence which
has been developed through pursuing knowledge only through
books. He distributed prasad to all of them and then removed
their eye glasses. "They were then able to see that the colour of
the idol was indeed black. With Divine vision one can perceive
Truth. But sometimes one is not able to perceive the proximate
Divinity due to distorted vision. Today knowledge has
progressed in technology and all other fields, but has led to
diversity in our vision with the result that individual Divine
vision has been lost.

Man has learned to travel to the moon at great expense but
not an inch within himself. He has developed the outer vision
only; he does not look inside himself which is cost free. The
reflection of Divine Light on the mind is known as the "moon."
Man has not bothered to see his own moon (mind), but travels
to the moon to bring back dust. Why do we need to go to the
moon for dust when we can get truck loads full of mud here on
earth? Man has developed a steadfast endeavour to experience
that which is far away rather than his own nature. From afar a

mountain looks smooth, but when one goes near it he can see
that it is full of stones.

All modem education is like building castles in the air. The
knowledge man has today is only like a small mustard seed, but
man claims that it is the size of a pumpkin. This pride is
characteristic of the modern age. In the present day man has
invented weapons for killing people; the newspapers constantly
report many deaths. Oh! mad man, is your intelligence only to
be used for inventing weapons to kill the outer enemies? Man
has so many internal enemies like ego, anger, pride and envy,
but he does not kill them; instead he goes on killing outer
enemies. First one should kill the enemy ego and the deadly
enemy jealousy. Man has been acting ignorantly. When he
conquers his inner enemies, then he will have the right to
conquer the outer ones. One who is subject to internal enemies
is a slave and does not know the human qualities. To be truly
human and develop one-pointed vision to the Divine, man
should be the master of himself, not a slave. Baba sang,

The jewel for one's hand is performing acts of charity,
The jewel for one's neck is speaking the Truth,
The jewel for the ear is hearing the sacred texts,
What need is there for any other jewels?

Beauty is Truth. Charity is the real decoration. Listening to
sacred texts is the decoration for the ears. Try to understand the
distinction between Truth and untruth. As man today has no
discrimination. Truth is taken as untruth and vice versa. There
is no other cosmic form beyond this world that one perceives
with the senses and the mind. Who has created all these lands

and worlds that man sees? Oh! Krishna, the cosmic form is not
separate from You. Every person being a part of the cosmic
form is Divine. You, yourself, as Atma, are God and are also
ancient. God has descended to the earth in all these human
forms. If we realize this Truth, that we are not this human body
but Atma, we will not have low and mean thoughts. Convince
yourself that, "I am God," the eternal, ancient, ever-new one.
After such an investigation into yourself, you will know that
everything is sacred. However, today mankind is not proceeding
in this direction.

In India, when you enter a bus, the first person to enter sits
in the front seat and the last person takes the last seat. The first
person to board the bus gets off last and the last person to enter
gets off first. In the plane also it is the same. The first person
to board gets down last and the last person gets down first. In
life you should understand what is meant by first and last.
"First" stands for Divinity. One who understands Divinity goes
slowly and merges first with the Divine. In the beginning he is
in the first stage of Divinity. If he keeps anything in his bag,
while sitting on the bus, if it is valuable he has to look for
it, so he has to be on the bus for a long time. This is called
prapti (deservedness). Likewise, for many years now, you
have been taking darshan (seeing), sparshan (touching)
and sambashan (talking) of Swami. Though you have come
first you are going last. The one who has a pure heart,
even though he may have come to God late in life, comes
out first (attains liberation). Wash off all the dirt from
your mind and fill it with pure thoughts and thus gain the
vision of wisdom. Then the universe will shine for you as the
cosmic form of God. Einstein stated that the universe is a

combination of atoms. Everything in creation is dancing to the
cosmic tune which consists of vibrations. Long ago the ancient
saints declared that the whole universe is Divine. Oh! mind,
dwell on Rama, the Divine principle; sages called this Divine
principle Rama, while today science calls it atoms. The only
difference is in the name. The ancient culture of Bharat is very
sacred with lofty principles.

Tyagaraja, a saint who lived in India, prayed, "Oh! mind,
please tell me what will confer happiness. Does happiness come
from pleasure or proximity to God? What is freedom?"
Tyagaraja learned that thinking of the Divinity confers Bliss;
that there is nothing more in life than this. One envies others
because they have material plentifulness and seem to be happy,
but the point is that you will become happier by dwelling on
God. They have bhoga (riches) and roga (diseases). You should
feel happy that you don't have roga. One should have only
sacred thoughts but humans today are attracted in the wrong
direction. What is the reason for this? It is due to the
samskaras (tendencies) from their past lives. If one is cleansed
of past life samskaras, one's life can become sacred. Man wants
everything without eliminating all of the bad qualities from past
lives. Listen to one word, one good word; do not follow others
and play mad games. Give up the mistakes and bondages.
Chant the name of Sri Sathya Sai! Sri Sathya Sai!. Nowadays
man is not listening to the good things but is eager to listen to
the bad. Why have the eyes been given? Is to see everything?
No; they have been given only to see God. Why have the legs
been given? Have they been given only to wander around?
Only for earning a living to buy food? No; they have been
given to serve mankind and gain liberation. All one's physical

limbs should be offered for service with this attitude in mind.
All one's limbs are of God and indicate that, "I am God." "I"
is the first name of God. We must inquire clearly. We say "I
am Swami, or I am a man, I am a woman, I am a Brahmin, I
am a Vaishya." When I say, "I am Swami," "I" is first and
Swami is next. Likewise, when I say, "I am a woman," "I" is
first and woman is next. So "I" is always first. When you ask
anyone his name, he will say Rama or Ramaya, but first is "I"
and next is the name. Once when a devotee prayed to God,
God appeared and declared, "I am the Deity of your prayers."
Even God says "I" first. The world is bound by "I" (universal).

The reason for the existence of "I" (personal) and "mine"
is the feeling of attachment one has towards things as well as
one's own body. If after you sold your car, it met with an
accident, you would not bother about it or become sad. If
someone hung a poster on the walls of your house you would
become very annoyed and fight with him, but after you sell
your house, you would not bother even if a bomb fell on it. If
you have money in the bank (Love of God), you can draw a
cheque, and withdraw it at anytime. In every aspect of life, as
long as one carries the sense of me and mine, there exists
attachment. When there is no attachment one will not be
affected, and this attitude of non-attachment will lead one to
the realization of Divinity. All attachments should be directed
towards Divinity as God is the one reality. The prayer,

"Twameva Matha cha Pitha twameva
Twameva Bhandu cha Sakha twameva
Twameva Vidya, Dravinam twameva
Twameva Sarvam, Mama Deva Deva"

means, "You are my Mother and Father, You are my Relative
and Friend, You are my Knowledge and Wealth, You are my
Everything." Instead of saying "This is mine," say "God is mine
and Everything is God." Such a relationship has seldom been
developed today and that is the cause for unhappiness.

How should one understand this detachment? One should
not claim that the body, mind, intellect, etc, are his. How can
one say that they are not his? Say, "Na Deham," which means,
"I am not the body"; "Na Buddhi," "I am not the intellect"; "Na
Manas"', "I am not the mind." Here we are referring to the
external mind; the other aspect is the internal mind that consists
of inner Bliss. As this Bliss is within man, no search is
required to locate it. One cannot acquire this Bliss from outside
through one's status or position but can attain it only through
Love. Without expressing Love, no one will Love you. The
entire drama of life consists of dancing puppets. Man, do not
be so proud of your beauty because you lie on the doorstep of
old age when you will not be able to walk, your skin will be
full of wrinides and all will laugh at you. Realize now that you
are only a puppet. The human body has been gifted to do
sacred action to realize that work is God and to know that
Truth is God Who is infinite.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Sathyam, Jnanam,
Anantham, Brahma......:"

April 18, 1996


        14

STHREE (WOMAN)

Embodiments of Divine Love,

The karma marga (path of action) is a beautiful flower, the
bhakti marga (path of devotion) is the raw fruit; the jnana
marga (path of wisdom) is the fully ripened fruit. Children of
Bharat (India), please listen. If you do not first have the flower
(dedicated action to God), you will not have a fruit (devotion
to God); and you also will not attain the fully ripened fruit
(knowledge and experience of the Atma). The flower is the
basis, that is, karma (action) is the basis for jnana (wisdom).

In this world which is full of karma, to be born as a
woman is very fortunate. Ignorant men think that they are
superior to women. Ladies have pride (self-respect), wealth
(noble and virtuous qualities), sweet talk, education,
intelligence, strength (fortitude) and patience. Not only in India
but in foreign countries, there are men who do not understand
this, but think women are weaker and not capable of doing
important work. Men think that they are physically strong and
only they are capable of important work, due to their ignorance.
If the home, community or country have respect it is due to
women. We describe our country as the Motherland; no one
calls it the Fatherland. No one asks what is your language?
Rather, they ask, what is your mother-tongue? No one asks you
what is your father-tongue? (laughter). The communities'
reputation depends on the women. Everyone in this world says,
"This is my motherland and this is my mother-tongue." If a

man wishes to perform any dharmic action or any big
ceremony, he should always discuss first with the women in the
home. If he wishes to complete a work successfully, he needs
the cooperation of the wife. If he does not discuss with her
before doing, it will not be successful. Though the husband
may be bad, the wife should be able to give him good advice.
She would be like a minister capable of giving good advice.
What about Mandodari? Due to her good advice, Ravana was
able to live for such a long time with all his sins. She said,
"You may be a strong one, educated, intelligent and wealthy,
but if Seeta would curse you once, you would immediately
become ashes. Therefore, you should understand the nature of
feminine power." If a man wishes to perform a yagna
(sacrificial rite), his wife must sit with him. Even if he wishes
to do charity, the wife should be by his side. The truthful
Harischandra knows nothing other than Truth. When he gave
his kingdom to Viswamitra, his wife Chandramathi, was with
him. If she wouldn't have been there, he could not have done
it. A woman is equal-to a man's heart, and she is half of him.
Because she is the one who brings respect to the home, she is
named Grahalakshmi. Men are able to earn money, but the
person who brings the good reputation to the family is the
woman. The one who cooks and serves the food in the home
is the woman, .isn't it? Because she takes good care of
everything and maintains the reputation of the home, she is also
called "Kirthi." Wealth consists of good health, good qualities
happiness, purity and cleanliness, not only currency notes.
Because she has all of these good qualities, she is known as
"Grahalakshmi." Women have the ability to speak sweetly and
soothingly, and in thus doing, they maintain their own and the
family's respect. Only these days one may see the wife and

husband together walking and talking, but the wife does not
interfere when the husband entertains another man in the
visitor's room. Only a lady can maintain this type of respect.

Buddhi (intellectual discrimination) is another quality
(energy) of women. When the husband leaves in the morning
and returns full of worries, the one who speaks soothingly and
sweetly and comforts him is the woman. That is why she is
called "dharma pathini." Women are more intelligent than men.
Women are able to concentrate and do work better than men.
Men use their discriminative ability only to do their jobs, but
women can discriminate and deal with any work according to
the situation. For example: Men and women both drive scooters
and cars. But go and ask the police department who gets
involved in accidents (clapping). When ladies drive there are
not often accidents. What is the reason? It is due to their
concentration (clapping). Due to their intelligence, they do not
hurt others and themselves by causing accidents. Go and ask
any university. Mainly it is lhe girls who score first class and
first rank. For Bhagavan, men and women are the same, but if
you really "see," this is the true situation (laughing and
clapping). Women at all times use their discriminatory power
to discover what is good and what is bad.

When a man desires to give his daughter in marriage, he
will look at the future bride groom's education and profession,
but the mother will always find out what type of family he
belongs to and the family background and reputation. It is the
woman who always worries about the future. A man is always
in a hurry and then later he regrets. Haste makes waste; waste
makes horry. So don't be in a hurry. A man always shows his

strength in his hands, while women have their strength in their
hearts. When a man arrives home tired, his wife refreshes him
with her pleasant words like giving an injection of glucose
(clapping). Many men know this but they will not admit it
(laughing and clapping). A man prospers in life due to the
support of women. Only a woman can understand all the
aspects of a situation, but men will have only a superficial
understanding. Though many foreigners invaded our country
and tried to destroy the culture, the culture is still alive due to
women.

It is only the women who are always peaceful. Although
some women quarrel, most of them are quiet. The relatives may
give problems, the son-in-law or daughter-in-law may cause
problems but women don't say anything. Rather, they keep it
within themselves and suffer, because they do not want to
tarnish the name and respect of the family. Ladies have seven
qualities, but since people do not understand this, the country
is in its present predicament. Men have three qualities. One is
that they work and earn money. Due to this they become proud
and egoistic. Ladies also go out to work but they don't have
this kind of ego. A few of them do have ego. The strength of
man depends on the housewife's cheerful words.

Until recently in the United Kingdom the Prime Minister
was a woman. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India
for 12 years. In Sri Lanka the Prime Minister and President are
women (mother and daughter). In the world today wherever
male Prime Ministers are in position there are problems and
troubles. If a man completes five years of his term as a Prime
Minister it would be surprising; yet Indira Gandhi could

complete more than 10 years as a Prime Minister. Women have
immense courage to lead and protect their countries.

In the field of devotion women are the first to enter the
spiritual path, and then men slowly follow. In spiritual pursuits
women are generally ahead. Men may have wisdom but
devotion is prominent in women. Without devotion to God, one
is nowhere.

In the court of the Maharaja (king), men can reach only as
far as the entrance hall, whereas women can go up to the
private quarters. Men have no right to enter here. What does
the antapuram refer to here? Antapuram means the Atma
within, which only women can reach due to their devotion and
sacrifice. Women have attained liberation through devotion.
One should never consider women to be weak, but should show
equal respect for both men and women.

In the Ramayana, Rama, because He was born to Kausalya,
could be called God. Due to the tender care of Sita, Lava and
Kush (the twin sons), became very great. This greatness was
due only to the mother's influence. Even in the world today the
father earns money whereas the mother cautions and nurtures
the children , keeping in view their education and behaviour.
All over the world it is women who are powerful. There is
nothing that they cannot achieve through using their inner
power.

The entire world is a ladies' college. The drama of life is
staged here. Spiritually speaking all are female. In a girls
college when a drama is being enacted the king, servants,

ministers etc., are all women; though the role is that of a king,
servant or minister, they are all women only. Food, sleep and
fear are common to both men and women; both eat, cry and
have desires. Brindavan (the place where Lord Krishna was
raised and also the entire universe which belongs to all of
creation) belongs to all. Govinda, Krishna or the Lord belongs
to all. In order to show the qualities and capacities of women,
Krishna enacted the following drama: At the main gate to
Brindavan, Krishna said to the watchman, "See that no woman
enters into Brindavan." One day when Radha came to the gate
she was refused entry by the watchman. When she told him
that Brindavan belongs to all, he replied that women were not
permitted entry. She asked him what he was and he replied that
he was a man. Radha challenged him by saying that there is no
man; all are women only. God is the only male; all the created
ones are Prakriti or children of the earth.

Arjuna (devotee of Lord Krishna in the epic Bhagavad
Geetha) had many titles. Dhanajaya was the title which meant
"holding the weapon" (of courage). But in the battle-field while
he was in the chariot, when he dropped his bow and lost his
courage, Krishna said "Stand up and fight. Know that in every
age fate is strong, justice will win and selfishness will die."
Though Dhritarashtra had one hundred sons, there was not even
one alive to do his obituary rites. What a destiny! So Krishna
encouraged Arjuna to live up to his destiny and not to lose
courage.

The world symbolises womanhood. Therefore, one's
country is called the "Motherland" and the earth is termed
"Mother Earth"; all bodies have been born from the earth. For

everyone mother is important; the motherly feelings which are
supreme always ensure the welfare of a country.

Once Sage Vishwamitra went to Dasaratha to request help
in the ritual that he was performing. Vishwamitra told him that
though he had the power to kill demons he could not use it, as
in a sacred ritual there should be no violence. As the chief
priest, he requested Dasaratha to send his two sons, Rama and
Lakshmana to safeguard the yajna (ritual sacrifice).
Vishwamitra told the king that his two sons were highly
Divine, that they always prayed to the Mother Goddess first
and to the father afterward. Vishwamitra payed respect to his
Mother first, father next and then preceptor. Why this order?
Only the mother gives birth and most often the mother is alert
and awake when father sleeps; if a child suffers from fever the
mother will not eat. Such sacred Love is found in a mother.
The father has only 75% of Love while the mother has 90%.
The progress of the entire world depends on the women;
women are not for the kitchen alone.

Today both men and women go to work, earn salaries and
keep a cook, a driver and servants. The salaries to these staff
may be more than their earnings but if the woman remains at
home she would be able to take care of these matters. The
husband encourages the wife to go to work. The wife's salary
may be 2000 rupees but the servants' salaries and expenses
come to 3000 rupees. This is like eating more pickle rather than
the meal (laughter). The expense becomes more than the
income. Since she goes to work the entire family is disturbed.
Listen to this point carefully.

The Bhagavad Geetha refers to three aspects of purity: the
vessel, the process of cooking and the cook (all need to be pure
and clean). It is very important that the cook should be a pure,
clean person not only outwardly but inwardly as well. From
ancient times we have said the food prayer, " Brahmarpanam
Brahmahavir" to offer the food to God so it would become
prasad (blessed food). So the purity of the transformed food
was ensured through prayer. Nowadays the husband and wife
fight on the dining table. One reason for all these disturbances
is the impurity of the cook who is mainly concerned with his
salary.

The housewife cooks with purity. Even in royal families
the queen herself served the members of the family. As is the
feeling, so is the reaction. If the family is secure and happy, the
society will also be happy; if the society is happy, then the
entire state will be happy. So purity and happiness should begin
with the individual.

Once in Hardwar there was a sixty-year old businessman
who had no one to take care of his family while he was
occupied in his business. He married a sixteen-year-old girl
who was often very sad and weeping, missing her deceased
mother. After their marriage, this businessman usually returned
home late at night. Due to loneliness and grief she decided to
end her life by jumping into the Ganges River. As it was the
custom to feed people on the tenth day ceremony after a death,
this businessman contributed sweets to the ashrams in
Rishikesh in respect to his wife. That evening a certain
renunciant sat in meditation. Normally he could meditate very
well, but that evening in his meditation he was bothered by a

sixteen-year-old girl crying. The next morning he asked his
guru the reason for this disturbance. His guru replied that he
must have been having impure thoughts. The renunciant replied
that he was not. Then it was discovered that the cause of the
disturbance was the eating of the sweets that had come from
the businessman whose wife had committed suicide. Since that
day this businessman stopped participating in feasts and became
content with whatever he had. Thus before partaking food we
should offer it to God for purification. You are God. Your heart
is His altar; Love is His form; Bliss is His food. Many ask
Baba where He gets His energy because He eats so little. I am
Energy! Energy is the form of Divinity.

Women should not be looked upon as of little value. A
house without the woman is like a forest. When a woman is
present, it is "for rest." Give them all your respect, and care for
their needs and comforts. If a woman sheds tears, prosperity
will not remain in that home; so do not make women suffer. A
woman stands for Love and devotion. From God's perspective
or from the Atmic standpoint, there is no difference between a
man and a woman as both are His creation. So surrender! God
is your old friend, "old is gold" friend, whereas modem friends
are friends today but they may say good-bye tomorrow. They
may have motives and are friends only as long as you have
money and such friendship changes from moment to moment.
So Love such a God; to develop such devotion is the purpose
of life.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Hey Shiva
Shankara, Namami Shankar, Shiva Shankara Shamboo."

April 19, 1996


        15

THE CREATOR AND THE CREATION

Before creation there was nothing but darkness everywhere.
Later on, there was rainfall for many years after which rays of
light appeared from among the clouds. Sound became evident,
that which one hears from within the spiritual heart when one
closes his eyes and listens. This sound was created first, and
with it small vibrations. Some vibrations could be heard and
others could not be heard. For example, when our eyelids
flutter there is sound even though it cannot be heard by the
human ear. The sound that was created by these vibrations
spread all over. For example, if you throw a stone in water, it
will make continuously spreading waves, similar to these
spreading sound vibrations created in space. We do not know
how or from where these vibrations started in the atmosphere,
and we do not understand the results of these vibrations. From
the vibrations in the atmosphere, the wind was created, and
from wind, heat was created. As a result of the friction between
the sound waves and the wind, heat was created; from heat,
water was formed. When one has a fever, perspiration results
when the fever is reduced. This is like the relationship between
heat and water. Water is denser than fire. As water becomes
more and more dense, it becomes the earth element. Sky or
akasha is prevalent everywhere  above, below, around. After
water was created, earth was created. By mixing of water and
earth, more aspects were created. The earth became like a
container to hold the water. As the heat decreased, the liquid
hardened to form rocks. The studies about this are called

physics. From physics, botany developed, and then zoology.
From botany and zoology, biology developed.

From space, sound was created, from air, wind was
created, then heat, water, and earth. In the beginning these were
not mixed together, but later when they were combined, life
was formed.

The three primary colours are red, blue and yellow, and
when they combine we get the other colours. The sky is blue.
Sri Krishna also is blue-complexioned by birth. He has the
colour blue because He is all-pervasive like the sky.

During creation, sound was formed first. Everything was
created from sound, including the huge stars. When a huge star
breaks up, small stars are formed. There are millions of stars,
but scientists are aware of only a few galaxies such as the
Milky Way where many stars are close together. The basis for
all of this creation is consciousness.

Wherever there is vibration there is sound. When one
breathes, there is sound; sound is all-pervasive. Wherever there
is magnetism, there is electricity. The Earth is a magnet,
therefore electricity is created from the earth. The human body
is also a magnet. In Sanskrit, body is called deha, and nature is
desha. Scientists talk .about the law of nature, and Manu (a
learned sage) also speaks about the law of nature. If there is a
rose flower, there must also be a Creator who has created it. It
is incorrect to say that the rose's existence is due to the law of
nature. For everything, there is a Creator.

The swan is able to separate and drink milk from a mixture
of milk and water. Near the beak of the swan is a chemical
which enables it to separate the milk. So says the scientist. But
who created this chemical near the beak of the swan? Who has
done this? Everything has a creator. One should not forget that
there is a creator for all these things. Use the law of nature but
don't break it. Lord Buddha said:

Buddham Sharanam Gachhami,
Sangham Sharanam Gachhami,
Dharmam Sharanam Gachhami.

Cultivate wisdom and discrimination by using the
intelligence (buddhi). Live in the society (sangham) as per its
laws, and adhere to, take refuge in Righteousness (Dharma).
One should follow the good example of others, rather than
following only the pleasure seekers. Buddhi, sangham and
Dharma were created for the sake of society. Why do we
prepare food? The body requires nourishment and energy.
Similarly if one sows good qualities in the community, the
community becomes good.

The sun has 98% hydrogen and 2% helium. Both are gases
and the heat is controlled by these gases. If helium were not
there, the earth would have been destroyed by the heat. There
is a relationship between the sun and the earth. Earth is the
daughter of the sun, and moon is the daughter of the earth.
Moon has no life on it. The life form that exists on earth does
not exist on other planets. Ice, fire and water are all alive. The
life forms that live and die in the water are different from the
life forms that exist in other elements. The life forms in each

element are unique. The life forms on earth are not like those
found in water, fire or air. The life form that exists throughout
the entire world is the Atma. God is in the earth and He is also
in all of the five elements. The earth has five qualities: smell,
taste, form, touch and sound. The earth is heaviest. Water has
four qualities: taste, smell, touch and sound. Fire has three
qualities: form, touch and sound. Air has two qualities: touch
and sound. And ether has one quality: sound. As ether has only
one quality, sound, it is all-pervasive. God is beyond any of
these qualities and elements so He is able to be all-pervasive.

There are no flying saucers. The man-made satellites
consist of three parts  frontal, middle and back portions.
When the satellite goes very fast, the rear portion becomes
detached, breaks and falls into the sea. People who see these
think they are flying saucers. The satellites made by scientists
do not last very long. What is permanent is created by God and
is called Truth; all the rest are impermanent.

God created sound first, which is the primordial pranava.
From this primordial sound, Om, other sounds emanated. Om
or the primordial sound is the basis for all of creation. If we
speak concisely about it, ether is infinite, but the created
is finite.

April 20, 1996


        16

ATTAIN IMMORTALITY THROUGH SACRIFICE
AND DESIRELESNESS

Embodiments of Divine Love,

On a tree the flowers come first and the fruits later. Only
through reaping the fruits of correct actions can one gain
spiritual wisdom. O! sons of sacred Bharat (India), listen to
these words.

There are three types of action: meritorious, mixed and
sinful. A meritorious action is one that is performed using one's
body and strength to work in and for society for the pleasure of
God. The main purpose of the human body is to perform
righteous actions. Human life has not been given for sensual
pleasure, or for only securing shelter and food but also to
search for and realize God. Know thyself first and then thou
will be able to know the Divine since every human being is a
reflection of the Divine. It is only when one carries the feeling
of the Divine within that all one's actions could be called
meritorious.

All of the senses, such as the mind and the intellect should
be used for the benefit of others, and when they are used in this
manner, the resultant action may be called a mixed action. One
should realize that his happiness is dependent on all the
benefits that he derives from that society in which he lives as
an individual. All are born into a society, so all of one's
capacities should be used not only for one's own benefits but

also for those of society. These actions performed for both self
and society are called mixed actions.

Thirdly, those actions which are continuously selfish are
called sinful actions. Today countries are filled with human
problems, the most serious of them are economical, followed
by financial, due to the problems of unemployment and
poverty. Why is a country poor today even though there may
be ample resources of wealth such as minerals and forests. The
poverty and problems are due to man's inability to develop a
deep interest in sharing with others. Man does not understand
the strength and capacities of society and he is also lazy. He
does not recognize and perform his duty to society nor is he
concerned about its future. When the temperament (mind) and
desires of man are under control, then the economy would
progress. Today broad feelings are missing and the spirit of
inquiry into man's inner nature has been lost. Everyone must
recognize that these fundamental problems are the underlying
cause behind poverty and non unity in the world today.

In Bharat (India), there is plenty of wealth. How is it to be
used wisely? None can clearly understand the reasons behind,
poverty. Once when a certain great man investigated the
problems of Bharat and other countries, he came to the
conclusion that the number of people who work are less, and
the ones who spend and consume are more. This is the reason
why poverty is ruining this country. Today most educatedl
people are working for selfish and narrow interests and are not
performing their duty in a sacred way. Ideally all should have
an equal opportunity to lead a happy life in society but this
not apparent; the equality has declined. There is nothil

basically wrong with the economy today, but we make narrow
use of it. For example, when a pit has been dug in one spot, the
mound beside the pit becomes high. The two could be
equalized by filling the pit with more mud. In the present
society there are three classes of people: the rich, the middle
class and the poor. A man can become rich and great only
through the co-operation and help of others, but he has
forgotten this fact. Due to the ingratitude of many such as him,
the country has declined. Everyone should express gratitude for
all the help received from the society by sharing, serving, and
ridding oneself of selfishness. Like stagnant water, wealth is
amassed and hoarded by the wealthy. Just as blood must
circulate in the body to avoid a blood clot, money too should
circulate or else the economy would come to a standstill. Duty
not properly discharged, and money not properly channelled
lead to poverty.

Everyone should try to develop satisfaction with the lot one
has and also love the work one has to do. But man is wasting
his time today. One must understand four things. Don't waste
time, don't do useless activities, undertake actions aimed at
social welfare and like what you have to do. The cultivation of
those four would enhance the individual; however, today this
broad- mindedness is lacking. To further one's spiritual
progress, one should have the equal mindedness to look upon
all work as God's work, otherwise one's actions will be impure.
If one feels that what one does is God's work, there will be no
mistake; so we should develop the strong faith that everything
is God's work. Secondly, there should be no scope for ego. If
one thinks that he is great what is the reason for this ego? On
a world map, one sees India as very small, Madras even

smaller and Kodaikanal where one's small house is, still
smaller. So, realizing this why should man have so much ego?
If one is egoistic, he is foolish. If one thinks he is one with
God, then there is no scope for ego. In every atom God is there
as the basis; the macrocosm (the universe) is filled with God.
In every tiny seed there is a tree. Therefore, the smallest and
the biggest are one and the same. God created everything and
every being. Whatever God has created or does is for the good
of mankind.

Once there was a man who believed that God had no
understanding of mathematics and engineering. During his walk
in the hot sun he stopped to sit under the cool shade of a
banyan tree for relief. He noticed some tiny fruits on the top of
this tree. In the distance, he saw on the fence of a vegetable
garden a vine from which large pumpkins were hanging. He
thought to himself that God cannot clearly think how to place
things. On a large tree there are small fruits, whereas on a thin
weak vine there are large heavy pumpkins. God certainly does
not have knowledge of mathematics and engineering. This man
then fell asleep. When he awoke he found that many fruits
from the tree above had fallen and landed near him. He then
realized, "Oh, God is so great; if there had been big fruits on
this tree they may have fallen on my head and broken it." He
thanked God that he had not placed big fruits on this big tree.
The welfare of the society has been planned by God and in
God's creation nothing is bad. If we think something is bad the I
mistake lies in our thoughts and feelings and not in the object.
Where there is purity of heart there is spiritual wisdom. Today, 
unfortunately, due to the lack of sacred thoughts everything iss

polluted including the water, food, air and thoughts. If one's
heart is sacred then there is no scope for pollution.

Human life is highly sacred. There is only one seat, one
space, in our hearts, though many want to occupy it. Today five
people desire to sit in the Prime Minister's chair. As we permit
many others to occupy our hearts, rather than God alone, the
mind becomes polluted. All our problems occur because we do
not have Divine thoughts; we must do activities with Divine
feelings.

All should work and not waste their time being lazy; God
will not accept laziness. You must understand the necessity of
the welfare of society that you are a part of. The welfare of
society is the welfare of the world. Although you exist now,
many have been born before you and society has existed before
your birth. Everything must have a basis, a foundation and for
the individual's welfare it is the society. Take for instance a
tumbler made of silver. Without the silver there can not be a
tumbler. Though pots come in many shapes the clay is one and
in jewellery gold is one. Have the faith that God is only One,
though His forms are many; the goal is to realize this. The
primordial sound, Om, or Brahman is the one Truth; this is the
fundamental principle in the culture of India. All of the zeroes
in large numbers get their value only due to the number in
front of the zeroes. The world is a zero while God is the only
hero. Everything in worldly life is a passing cloud; God alone
was there before and after every event. Truth is the same in the
past, present, and future; Truth is God. Love only God; Love
is infinite and indefinable; Love is God. Today that Divine
Love in man has changed into hatred and envy.

The basis for everything is the primordial sound Aum
(Sabda Brahman). In front of all of the zeros in a number if
you place the number one, the number will have value. The
number "one" is the hero. The world is a zero. When the zero
is in front of the hero, it has no value. Similarly the things of
the world are like passing clouds. There is nothing in this world
that is permanent. God was there before these were created and
God will be there after they disappear. He is present during all
of the three times (past, present and future). He is the Truth
and Truth is God.

Divine Love today is changing into hatred, and the pure
Love is becoming tainted with jealousy. Each individual may
prefer different names and forms, and colours, but the basic
Love should not change. To illustrate this, I will tell you a
small story.

Once four children were playing when their mother called
them to drink some juice. Each child asked for juice of a
different colour. One wanted red, another green, the third
yellow, and the last wanted white. The mother decided to
please all by giving a red, a green, a yellow and a white glass.
Like the same sweet juice in each tumbler, the fundamental
Love in each being cannot be changed. If this Love is poisoned,
the result would be envy, anger, etc. Only Love can transform
the mind and the actions of man. Due to the defects in the
container (body) we see good and bad. Perform good acts in
society, do not misuse your physical resources (mind, senses
energy etc.). If we surrender our bodies to God we would do
good actions. Nowadays the physical resources are spoilt due
to the progress in science and technology and nature has been

utterly exploited. The earth is a sphere and if you keep on
digging in one place, the balance is lost. Due to man's
intelligence, he is making these mistakes. In God's creation
there was a perfect balance, but now because of gross misuse
of intelligence, the entire globe has become imbalanced.
Educational knowledge should lead to the acquisition of useful
skills, but instead man kills. Now that the balance has been
lost, man has developed external vision and has lost his inward
vision (insight). Unfortunately, today, all want to be equal to
Biria and Tata (wealthy people). If you have a grandson, you
are called "Tata" (in Telugu). It is through sacrifice that. you
can become immortal; the removal of immorality is the way to
attain immortality. You cannot buy God with all your wealth
and authority; you can only win Him with Love and Truth.
Take the example of King Harischandra. For the sake of Truth
he sacrificed the kingdom and sold his wife and himself. He
was known as Sathya Harishchandra because he never left
Truth. This is the reason his memory has remained permanently
in history; in the modern age we do not leave our names in
history. Now we are only interested in earning wealth. We have
no place in history but we have hysteria. What is history?
History is "His Story"  God's story. King Harishcandra's
story is history. All should follow the example of King
Harischandra by developing Prema (Divine Love), Sathya
(Truth) and Thyaga (Sacrifice).

Today man's desires are limitless; everyone wants more
and more. As a result the country is facing great economic
problems. Everyone wants to be rich; be rich in sacrifice and
Love. Who is the richest man? Swami says that the one who
has much sacrifice and contentment is the richest while the one

with many desires is the poorest. Put a ceiling on desires.
Today the desires are piling up to the sky. One Indian went to
the U.S.A. and wanted to cross a road there. From morning
until evening he waited. There were continuously cars going by.
For every family there are four cars. In the U.S.A. in many
families, each person has a separate car. Why have four cars in
one family? If you piled up all the cars on top of one another,
they would reach the sky. To have good health one must walk
for exercise, even though he has many cars. We have air
conditioning in the bedroom; why do we need to have air
conditioning in the bathroom as well? Man is mad with excess
desires. Less luggage makes man more comfortable and happy.
Isn't it a waste of money if a man buys vegetables for $ 2.00
and gets a person to carry them for $ 4.00? Do your own work.
If a man only eats and sits, he will spoil his health. Man
doesn't want to work with his hands but he wants to fill his
stomach. When sacred actions are done to please God, one's
conscience would not permit him to make mistakes. Today few
have sacred thoughts. There are good people but they are not
known to all.

In a village once there was a very compassionate lady who
distributed blankets to the needy people in the cold winter
season. One day a student who noticed her was surprised that
she was so humble always walking with her head bent down.
He asked her why she walked in that manner. She replied,
"God has provided everything to us including two hands. What
a shame that I am giving only a single blanket. No one should
feel proud and egoistic." The boy then realised how egoistic he
was due to pride in his studies. Thereafter, he decided to
perform dedicated service to society. Today elders are not ",

acting as good examples for the younger generations. When
their children have M.BA degree, the parents send them to
U.S.A. for higher studies, so that their future in-laws will gift
them more money as dowry in marriage. It is true that money
and study are necessary; go ahead but also earn virtues. The
suicide rate abroad is very high due to lack of mental peace.
Peace of mind is only to be found in the sacred country Bharat
(India); peace is found only in God. Develop virtues and then
all types of prosperity will follow. We may have money today,
tomorrow it may vanish. Can you carry any property or wealth
with you when you leave this world? You should earn God's
Grace now so that when you leave the world which is zero, you
will have God as your own. While experiencing the world keep
the awareness of the Divine within you. The Goddess of wealth
is not blind; she examines who is making proper use of money
and she will also be sad if anyone misuses wealth.

Once when a man prayed, both the Goddess of wealth and
the Goddess of poverty came before him. They asked him, "O
rich man, which of us is more beautiful?" The man was in a
dilemma. He thought that if he told the Goddess of wealth that
she is more beautiful, the Goddess of poverty may make him
poor. If he replied that the Goddess of poverty is more
beautiful, the Goddess of wealth would leave him and he would
become poor. So he answered, "To decide which of you is
more beautiful, you must each walk back and forth in front of
me so I may look at you both." As the Goddess of wealth
Lakshmi walked towards him first, the Goddess of poverty
appeared to walk away. He commented "O, you are both so
beautiful as you walk. As wealth comes it is beautiful and as
poverty goes, it too is beautiful." The wealthy one is the one

with good character; money comes and goes. Where are all the
kings who once lived, where is their wealth? No one came into
this world with wealth and no one can take it with him when
he leaves this world. You can only carry your good and bad
deeds from life to life, so earn good deeds only. "Good" is
God. The word good has two zeros; one is the worldly zero.
Leave that zero behind and only God will remain; that is, you
will become God. Everything in the world except Divinity
comes and goes; the true wealth is to enjoy proximity to God.
The country will prosper when all enjoy Divine wealth. Why
enjoy donkey's milk when one spoon of cow's milk is more
valuable. Divine wealth is attained from the ocean of milk
(Satchitananda).

Radha sang, "Krishna, sing and fill our hearts with joy.
Talk to our hearts and confer all joy. Take the essence of the
Vedas, and convert it into the sound of Brahman, to fill the
flute with music." What is the meaning of the flute here? The
flute is one's body containing the nine holes. One's entire body
should be filled with melodious music which is the milk of the
Vedas. What is meant by milk? The milk refers to the four;
Vedas! Just as we draw milk from the four udders of a cow, the
four Vedas supply spiritual nourishment to our minds and;
bodies. The essence of the Vedas is soham; the inhalation and I
exhalation of the breath, make the sound "soham" which means, j
"I am God." When you enjoy more nearness with God you will
gain all prosperity.

Radha prayed, "Krishna, I live for Your sake; I cannot live;
without You. I long to see Your smile and hear Your music. O
Krishna, why can't you appear in my dreams? Why have my I

eyes been given? To see You only. Why have my ears been
given? To listen to You only. Why has my mouth been given?
Only to chant Your names and glories. Everything is only
You." Radha's main ideal was Krishna only.

Don't give up your duty as all work is God's work. If work
is done with Divine feelings it will be pleasing to God. Limit
your desire for money; money is necessary for living but the
excess should be circulated if you have enough to eat and
drink. Why do you still want the whole Ganges when a
container of water is sufficient? It is more important to drink
the wine of God, the Divine Bliss. If we reduce our desires, the
economic problems in the country would decline and we would
have more money. Divinity, wealth and longevity; we would be
able to enjoy life for one hundred years. It is the negative
qualities like jealousy, hatred, anger etc. that reduce one's life
span. So one who gives up the bad qualities, lives long and
becomes immortal. Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel
a pleasure.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Bhava Bhaya
Harana Vandita Charana."

April 21, 1996


        17

SACRIFICE AND WISDOM ARE BOTH NEEDED TO
REACH DIVINITY

Embodiments of Divine Love,

In childhood one is engrossed in playing with friends. In
mid-life one is busy earning money. In old age one is sad for
all the things he is missing. Thus throughout life, one does not
find the time to think of God. What is life? For who's sake
should we live? If every person inquires in this way most
would be unable to supply the appropriate answer. One may
say that he lives for his own self, but the very same person
under different circumstances may say he lives for his family.
Each one is truly living for his own sake. When two people are
sleeping on the same cot, each dreams a different dream
because each person is living a separate life for himself. But
supposing that when a person is taking his meal he receives the
news that his son has met with an accident; he will
immediately lose his appetite and rush to the hospital.
Therefore man does sacrifice for his own sake and his family.
The same individual rises to the occasion when there is a
problem in the village because he considers himself as part of
the village community; he is able to understand that he also
lives for the welfare of society. Firstly, he lives for himself;
secondly he lives for his family; and thirdly he lives for
society. He understands individual welfare depends on the
welfare of the society.

Man is a limb of his family; the family is a limb of the 
society in which he lives. The society is a limb of nature and

nature is a limb of the Divine. Prakriti is a limb of Paramatma.
Man today has forgotten the Divinity inherent in nature and
therefore he is full of anxiety and is having unsacred thoughts;
as a result Bharat's (India's) wealth is on the decline. This word
of Sai shows the true path.

Where do thoughts come from? The world provides the
basis for thoughts and the world is the result of the Will of
God. Since God embodies the Supreme Will, all thoughts come
from Divinity. When you develop this cosmic feeling you will
live in Bliss. Man considers himself separate from the world,
but the world is not separate from God. We use the term
Divine Master when referring to God or the Satguru and we
also use the terms headmaster, stationmaster and postmaster.
When we say Divine Master, we are inferring that the Divine
is separate from the Master in the same way that a post-office
is separate from the postmaster. When we say Divine Master
there is a contradiction because in Truth, Divine is not separate
from the Master. The Divine is the Divine; therefore the use of
the word master is redundant and foolish. Those who do not
fully understand this aspect should listen, recapitulate and
practice.

There are three steps one should follow to develop
understanding and wisdom. They are sravanam (listen),
mananam (reflect), nidhidyasanam (practice). It is not enough
to merely listen; one should also reflect and practise what is
heard. For example, the prepared food should be taken from the
kitchen to the dining hall and then eaten; then only one is
satisfied. In this example sravanam is compared to cooking the
food, mananam to taking it to the dining hall, and

nidhidyasanam to eating it. We must pass through these three
steps to obtain satisfaction from listening to the Discourses of
noble souls and studying the scriptures, etc. What is the use of
studying and listening if we do not reach anywhere and still
remain dissatisfied and unfulfilled? What is the reason for this
dissatisfaction? It is because we do not put into practice what
we have heard and read that we take birth again and again.
What is life, youth, middle age and old age? They are all
passing clouds. Man is not understanding his true value, his
Divinity. All the yogic practices such as meditation, japa,
namasmarana, performed without purity are a mere waste. Adi
Sankara (a great sage)had said that human pride based on
knowledge, wealth and youth will ultimately vanish.
Immortality is gained though renunciation and sacrifice. What
do we sacrifice in our lives? What do we need to sacrifice? We
are not able to sacrifice our habits like coffee, tea, smoking and
snuff which keep man very weak. When one cannot give up
simple habits like these, how can one sacrifice his ego to attain
Divinity? Man has become frustrated in his life due to holding
onto feelings of "I and mine." Developing in oneself the moral
values leading to purification is essential for the development
of spirituality. To enhance human values one must develop
Divine thoughts and sacrifice the worldly thoughts. Man must
travel through the animal nature to the human nature and to the
Divine; but most have not progressed even an inch in this
direction.

What is a mantra? The word mantra can be split into man
- tra; "man" is "mind" and "tra" means change. The function of
a mantra is to transform one's mind. What we repeatedly think;
is mantra. Human life is for attaining Divinity but unfortunately i

human beings have not been able to realize Divinity though it
is latent within them. What is human nature? It is human life
coupled with Divinity. Sugarcane with it's thick outer covering
has sweet juice within; in the same way the human body houses
the Divine. God Himself descends to earth in a human form to
show mankind that the human being is Divine, but still we do
not understand this Divinity. What permanent happiness is there
to be acquired in this world? It cannot be found anywhere
except in union with God. When we cannot understand the
world how can we understand God? To understand God and the
world we should consider the body, mind, intellect and senses
all as Divine. To live as a human being is a rare gift so make
the best use of this gift by living in close proximity to God.
When the Ganges is flowing nearby, the foolish man is dying
of thirst. Likewise, human beings living today are not able to
understand that Divinity is continuously pervading from top to
bottom in our bodies. Why does one forget about this Truth?
Today man cannot distinguish Truth from untruth. Creation has
emerged from Truth and it will merge back into Truth; this
unsullied Truth pervades everywhere. Just as the water bubble
has come from the water, the human being has emerged from
the Divine and will merge back into the Divine. The water
from which the bubble has emerged is the Sath Chit Ananda
(Being, Awareness, Bliss), that is the nature of God. Do not
follow the mind and the body which is like a water bubble,
follow only the basis, Sath Chit Ananda, this is Atmic Love.
Make an effort to know and recognize the nature of Atmic
Love. Every undertaking one takes in life should be for the
sake of knowing Sath Chit Ananda, which is the goal and
purpose of life. Do not waste your life on meaningless thoughts
and activities. Life is highly valuable and sacred so it must be

surrendered to the Divine. Destroying the mind is the true
diamond (diamond = die - mind) and will reveal the Divine.
One must inquire why one has been born and the manner in
which one should conduct one's life. Today, a human being
having been born, is only living for himself and his family but
he must consider also the welfare of the society in order to live
a Divine life. One should recognize that the cardinal principles
in spiritual life are Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non
Violence and that one has been born to experience Divine
Bliss.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Sathyam, Jnanam,
Anantham, Brahma."

April 22, 1996


        18

TRUTH IS THE FOUNDATION OF LIFE

Embodiments of Divine Love.

In spite of his intelligence and high education, a foolish
one may still have no understanding of God and a mean man
will not discard his mean ways. He uses his education to argue
and compete with others. The purpose of education is not only
to earn a living, but also to learn the ways to become immortal.
Once Adi Sankara and his disciples were going towards the
Ganges river to take a bath. On the shore Sankara saw a pundit
(scholar in the sacred scriptures) reciting the rules of grammar.
Sankara listened to him and then asked, "By learning to recite
all of this, what benefit will be gained for the future ?" The
pundit replied, " I'll be a great scholar and also an expert in
mathematics. Through my learning I shall get a position in the
court of kings and by having such a high position I can spend
my life happily."

"O man, Sankara replied, you will benefit from this
learning only so long as you are alive, but what will happen to
this learning and to you after you die ? What will be your
destiny? Sing the name of Govinda (Krishna). O foolish man,
the rules of grammar cannot save you when your end is near;
no friend or relative can come to your rescue." Swami sang
(Bhaja Govindam). Sing the glory of God; chant the name of
Govinda, experience God and share this Bliss with all; this is
the goal of life.

In the epic Ramayana, Hanuman continuously thought of
Rama; every hair on his body reverberated the name of Rama.
Hanuman visited Lanka and developed friendship with
Vibishana. Knowing that Hanuman had been with Rama,
Vibishana said to him, "How lucky you are. You are so
fortunate to be serving Rama. Though I have much wealth, I
am without inner peace. Even though I chant the name of
Rama, I have not yet had the darshan of Rama." Vibishana felt
sad still waiting for an opportunity to serve Rama. This episode
from the Ramayana illustrates that it is insufficient to only sing
the glories of Rama; one must also serve Him.

Hanuman then spoke, "Sita has been staying here so many
months in Lanka. Did you try to save Sita by attempting to
persuade Ravana to free her? You never attempted to save her.
You should help in Rama's mission." Vibishana replied, "I will
show you Mother Sita if you show me Father Rama." Hanuman
went to Ashoka gardens with Vibishana where all the demons
began to make fun of the monkey. On Ravana's command
Hanuman's tail was set on fire, thus he destroyed the houses
and various other places in Lanka when they caught fire.
Finally Angada, the son of Ravana, was sent to Lanka to settle
the matter. He asked Hanuman,"Who are you and where do you
come from?." Hanuman replied. "I am the servant of Lord
Rama." As it was the principle not to kill the ambassador to
their country, they merely caught Hanuman and brought him to
Ravana. Hanuman, seated upon a low seat, continued to repeat
the Lord's name while coiling his long extended tail round and
round into a big pile. Hanuman, now seated on a higher level,
faced Ravana and forced him to look up. The ground below
Ravana fell and this was considered to be a very bad omen.

Ravana asked, "Who sent you; you are only a monkey and
you are spoiling the entire country of Lanka." Hanuman
replied," That king who cut off your sister's nose has sent me.
Although you have excelled in 64 forms of knowledge, you
have no wisdom, peace or moral values. This is like a school
without teachers." There is nothing to equal a devotee. Ravana's
end was fast approaching; he could not act and think properly.

Once Rama told Lakshmana that if Ravana surrendered to
him, he would even persuade Bharata to make him the king of
Ayodhya. Even if one practices a little spirituality daily, it is
enough. Hanuman was so great because he was full of service,
virtue, peace, and Love for Lord Rama. Because he had Rama's
grace, he was courageous in front of Ravana. Like Hanuman
we should make every effort to serve, as well as to sing the
name of God.

Everyone is afraid of death. When one moves to a foreign
country, all his friends would wish him good-bye and any
foreign country would welcome him. On the other hand, when
one goes to the other world, all would weep, and he would
receive no good byes. From a foreign country you would return
in the same body, but from the other world you are bound to
return, but in what body, no one knows. So, instead of taking
birth after birth, one should try to redeem oneself in this
present life. When one is ill, one takes medicine but does not
continue the medicine when one is cured. Medicine is taken
with the belief that one will never be ill again. So, life is given
in order to come out of the cycles of birth and death. Learn
what you are supposed to know, and reach the destination.

Swami sang "Asathoma Sath Gamaya; Thamaso Ma,
Joythir Gamaya; Mrithyor Ma, Amritham Gamaya" (From
Untruth, lead me to Truth; from Darkness, lead me to Light;
from Death lead me to Immortality).

Human beings believe that their life span is long, so
without knowing the basic Truth, they go on planning. But
truly, God is the only one who plans, thus the "Masterplan" is
known only to Him. Thus, discharge your duties and do service
with faith in God. How should you conduct your life? There is
no use to do penance that involves physical exertion or strain;
penance means giving up dullness and laziness. Man goes on
spiritual pilgrimages such as to Rishikesh to experience the
Divine. To partake in a pilgrimage is an expression of devotion.
The presence of a sacred river such as the Ganges flowing from
the Himalayas, and the sacred places like Kasi, Prayag,
Rishikesh denote pilgrimage centres. Unfortunately, devotion
today, even on a pilgrimage, is filled with worldly thoughts.
There is no use to have negative thoughts. Since man is having
so much negativity, he is unable to experience the positive
Divinity in life. Man should have sacred ideals. The sacred
texts, the Shastras, command you to practice Truth and obey
the commands of God.

Once, Rama was commanded by his father to go into exile
to the forest. Lakshmana was very angry because Rama wasn't
taking him along. Rama cautioned him, "Don't give up your
Dharma, your responsibility out of affection for Me. It is on
account of your attachment to Me that you are reacting like
that. I am going into exile for the sake of Dharma. Dharma
protects the one who follows and practices Dharma, there is no

higher Dharma than Truth. The power of Dharma rests on the
foundation of Truth. I will follow theDharmic path only." Thus
Rama argued that is it Truth and Dharma that are important in
life. When you build a house or construct something, because
the foundation is there first as a base, one is able to construct
walls. Without the foundation the walls would have no support.
Although the walls will be visible the -foundation is hidden
from view. Likewise, Dharma represents the walls and Truth is
the foundation which is hidden. For the entire world Dharma
is the most important. Rama exemplified this by following the
commands of his father and sacrificing attachment.

Rama visited his mother and told her "I will obey the
command of my father." Everyone should obey one's father.
Rama never blamed Kaikeyi for banishing Him to the forest.
Rama was supposed to be coroneted following the wish of King
Dasaratha. The wife should follow her husband, but Kaikeyi
disobeyed her husband by wishing for the banishment of Rama
and for the enthronement of her son. So Rama said, "I must go;
I will follow my father's command." In the Ikshavaku lineage,
it was the tradition to follow the command of the parents; no
one should go against the parents. Kausalya agreed, "Yes, do
follow the command of your father, but follow mine also.
Please take me along with you; if you take me, this amounts to
following your father's command. I have never had happiness
in my life. After you were born, I expected much happiness. I
cannot live without you." Rama replied, "Mother, it is the duty
of every woman to continue to serve only her husband." Sita
was listening to all this. She was not an ordinary person, she
was the daughter of the Earth. She said, " I will follow You to
the forest." Rama replied, "It is not possible for you to do this

as there are wild animals there; I will find it difficult to protect
you."

Sita laughed and answered, "When You are the very lion
itself beside me, why should I be afraid ? If You can't protect
one lady, how can You protect the entire world? No, I don't
believe You. You have asked Your mother to serve Your
father; so why should You give a separate command to me?
The wife is like a shadow, so I will certainly follow You.

During those days people adhered to Dharma even if they
had to go through turmoil, troubles and loses. These days no
son follows his father and no wife follows the husband. The
students today do not obey and respect their teachers. The
Ramayana sets ideals to show how a brother should treat a
brother and how a social order should function. The Ramayana
demonstrates how the welfare of the society is based on living
in society with Divine feelings.

Divinity is latent in everything. It becomes patent through
acts of service and chanting the Lord's name so one should
make proper use of these two. Just because you have some
education you cannot behave as you like. Through education
you must become an ideal person. Valmiki composed the
Ramayana, using Rama as the ideal man. He had full faith at
the completion of the epic, that Rama was God although in the
beginning he thought that Rama was only an ideal man.
Tulsidas (a poet) declared that Rama was God. In the end, he
said that He was the noblest and highest human being.
Narayana (omnipresent aspect of God) Himself is not separate
from the ideal man; He is the Supreme Soul (Purushottama).

Thus Lord Rama behaved as a man but within Him was full
Divinity. His body was an instrument just like ours. We take
ourselves to be the body, and so we do not recognize Divinity.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing "Om, Sri Ram, Jai
Ram, Jai Jai Ram"

April 23, 1996


        19

DEVOTION IS THE EASIEST PATH TO GOD

Embodiments of Divine Love,

It is quite possible to win a debate in an assembly of
scholars in a noble court. It is possible to fight a war and come
out victorious. It is possible to be a king and rule a kingdom.
It is possible to gift in charity cows and wealth. It is possible
to give up desires. However, to control the mind and body and
be steady in meditation or samadi is not so possible.

For the protection of the righteous and the destruction of
evil, God takes a human birth to re-establish Dharma. In this
life, devotion is what one should be drawn to. To love the
world is not true Love. To love external objects, people and
transient things is a waste. This is not Divine Love (Prema),
but only attachment. Only Love directed to God can be called
devotion. Devotion is a synonym for intense Love. The outer
expression of devotion is called Dharma, and the one who
understands Dharma will develop Love and one who has Love
will be able to develop Dharma. Dharma and Prema are twin
birds. As man is losing these values of Dharma and Prema, his
life is like a desert land.

At one time Duryodhana fell at his mother Gandhari's feet
for her blessing to win the battle he was about to engage in. As
Gandhari knew that Duryodhana was not following the path of
Dharma, her heart did not allow her to render her blessings
though Duryodhana kept on begging. Gandhari said, "Wherever

there is Dharma, there shall be victory." Later they paid
respects to their Guru Dronacharya who told them that, where
there is Righteousness, God will be present. Because God was
an intimate friend to Arjuna, his life reflected Love and
Dharma. If Love and Righteousness are practised. Divinity
which is latent becomes patent. There is nothing higher than
this Divine Love which motivates all men to share with one
another. Many devotees in the past have attained God through
Love. You are nowhere without devotion to God, even though
you may have plenty of power. Although Duryodhana and
Dushasana had plenty of wealth and prosperity, without
Dharma they did not have God's support. Those who were
against God and relied on physical strength rather than Divine
strength were ruined. Take Ravana and Kumbakama. They
were very strong soldiers, but Ravana, even though he could
construct the entire country and was very wealthy, despite his
abilities he could not reach God to attain liberation. They
thought they could please God with their abilities and strength.
Ravana who was a great scientist and who was highly educated
and very affluent met the same end. You may feel proud of all
your wealth, but it will not enable you to attain liberation. God
submits Himself only to the devotee who has intense Love.

Kuchela who had a large family was very poor. Since he
was the childhood friend of Krishna, Kuchela's wife advised
him to seek the help of Krishna. Kuchela visited Krishna to
seek His grace for the removal of his poverty. The moment
Krishna saw him. He got down from His throne, bugged him,
stared at him from top to toe and talked at great length with
him. Oh mind, don't ask. Without asking, the result will come
sooner. If you worship God with Love, He will look after you.

Lord Rama did the last rites of Jayatu without his having to
ask. Sabari, too, attained her heart's desire, the darshan of Lord
Rama, without asking. God is present in all of creation. Based
on the devotee's feeling, God will appear in that form.
Therefore, only through true Love can one take control of and
attain Divinity. Devotion means total control of the mind,
worldly attachments and desires. One can experience Divinity
through devotion alone. True devotion means total
unconditional Love. A diamond alone can cut another diamond.
Devotion (Bhakti) is derived from the word Bhaja which means
worshipping the Lord through practice. Devotion is worshipping
and serving, feeling happy and making others happy. Through
this path many attain Bliss. Sakkubai prayed, "Krishna, how
long should I suffer and remain in misery. Is there no justice?
Do You not have compassion? Am I not Your servant?." Why
was she suffering? She was suffering because she could not feel
near to God but by pining she could feel near to God. There
were many devotees like Tulsidas, Ramadas and Tukaram who
all suffered for God. Ramadas prayed, "Lord, I am Your's. Why
are You keeping me at a distance? Have I done any wrong? I
only wanted to spend all the money collected by me to make
a temple for You. As a result. King Taneesha punished me and
imprisoned me. Why should I suffer? O Rama because I could
not bear the thrashing I received from King Tanesha's soldiers
I blamed You. Please, kindly excuse me."

Immediately, Rama and Lakshmana took the form of two
servants and went to King Taneesha to pay off Ramadas' debt.
When the king inquired as to who they were, they replied, "We
are Ramayya and Lakshmayya, the servants of Ramadas."
Immediately the king changed his mind, greeted them and

ordered Ramadas to be released. It is only due to the devotion
of the devotee that the Lord bears everything.

Kabir and Tulsidas were great devotees who expressed
their devotion through Love. The path of devotion is very easy
in that no physical exertion or money is required, but only
Love. To control the mind and the senses is not easy, but
thousands have attained God through devotion. Many could not
reach God through the other paths such as raja yoga and karma
Yoga. In the beginning any venture, such as riding a motorcycle
is difficult, but gradually one succeeds. In the Bhagavad Geetha
it says, "first practice." By constant practice of righteous deeds
one can give up bad qualities; then one would be able to
continuously think of God which is the true prosperity and real
wealth. In Kamataka, a devotee named Mankamma spent all of
the time thinking of God in the following manner: For the
entire lake, the lotus is the decoration (beauty). For the
decoration of a village, houses provide the beauty. For the sky,
the moon is the source of beauty. For the sea, waves are the
beauty. In the sky of our heart, the shining moon (mind
illuminated by Atma) is the real decoration. For a devotee,
vibuthi ash is the decoration. God is everywhere in the world,
in, around and beneath everything; there is no place where He
is not. All names and forms are His. Eashwara manifests
Himself when a devotee prays with a sacred heart and pure
selfless Love.

Tyagaraja continuously chanted the name of Lord Rama.
Once he went in search of Rama, since he thought Lord Rama
had gone somewhere. He was repeating Lord Rama's name and
praying, "When can I see Your smiling face? Why are you

punishing me by Your absence?" Some pure hearted pilgrims
noticed his footprints and carried him on a palanquin. Some
robbers who noticed him, thought him to be a very rich man
and decided to attack and rob him. But suddenly Rama and
Lakshmana manifested themselves with bows and arrows.
Tyagaraja was not even aware of this impending attack and did
not call out for help from the Lord. The thieves then fell at his
feet. When asked why they were doing so, they replied that
they were being chased by two men with bows and arrows.
Tyagaraja was surprised but then he understood and said, "O
Rama! Thieves were attempting to rob me but You protected
me; the thieves saw You but I didn't. You are always in front,
above, beside and on either side of the devotee, protecting him.
The thieves got your Darshan, but I did not." Though the
thieves saw Rama and Lakshmana they did not recognize
Them. Tyagaraja went to the Kaveri River for his bath and
collected the idol of Rama which was thrown inside. He said,
"O Rama! come home; I will worship You! O God, son of
Dasaratha, I cannot bear any longer to be without You." Then
he experienced the vision of the Lord. Of all the persons in the
whole world, only the devotee can attain the vision of the Lord.
The scriptures give you knowledge, but one need not read any
sacred text. Pure Love alone makes God manifest before the
devotee. The entire universe is contained in Prema. The word
Prema is divided into: 'Pre-ma', which means that except for
Love, nothing else of value exists. Prema is a mighty
continuous flow of Love. The spiritual path is convenient for
everyone to follow and does not involve any business
transaction. The three life principles in the triangle of Love are:
don't ask, give and don't take, and be happy. Our happiness

depends on following the path of Love. God too will dance if
you are happy and He will also make you dance in ecstacy.

Everything is contained in the name, "Ra, a, ma." All the
bad qualities within will be removed by chanting the name
Rama. 'Ra" stands for fire and when chanted it has the potency
to bum sins; "a" stands for the moon, which pacifies and cools
the mind; "ma" stands for the sun, which dispels darkness.
Darkness here refers to our ignorance about the Truth. So one
can pacify one's emotions and dispel one's ignorance and
agitation through chanting the name Rama. Lord Rama's name
alone can make you understand this trinity. One should
wholeheartedly sing the name of Rama to destroy all one's sins.

In a village a water tank was built with a golden tap. There
was a small river beside the water tank. For the opening
ceremony, some guests and dignitaries were invited. One of the
dignitaries opened the tap, but the water did not flow, so a
connecting pipe between the river and the tank was made. But
between the tap and the tank there was no connection. The tap
is the devotee and the water tank is God. When the devotees
connect themselves to God, Love flows.

King Tanesha asked Rama and Lakshmana (as the two
servants), "Who are you?" They replied that they were servants
of Ramadas. Ramadas, Korokumber, and Sakkubhai are
examples of true devotees. Valmeeki composed the Ramayana,
and Vyasa also composed some epics, but neither of them
understood the Divine. Pothana was a great pandit and devotee.
His cousin Sri Nathar once requested Pothana, "Give your
Ramayana to the King. Pothana refused. So Sri Nathar, very

angry, burnt Pothana's house. Everything was burnt except the
Ramayana. At the time Pothana was away from his home, his
son was ploughing the field. His son asked Sri Nathar, "Are
you okay?" Sri Nathar replied, "I am okay, but you see for
yourself," and he departed. ... When Pothana desired to write
the Ramayana, he was not able to find the beginning for the
text but completed the last part of it which read, "Rama is
everything." He left the book in this state, lying open and went
to take a bath in the river. When he returned, he saw that the
beginning of the verse had been written by Rama. On a full
moon day to see the moon does one need a small lamp? No.
The moonlight will enable you to see the moon. Similarly, one
can realize God as a result of his own Divine feelings. The
relations who do not help you when you are in need, the
illiterate and uneducated, and horses that cannot run should be
discarded immediately. These days, people who are intelligent
still hold onto these things and suffer.

A teacher was giving instruction and the student was
looking somewhere else. The teacher asked him, "How much
has got in?" The student replied, "Only the tail is left out." The
teacher was asking about his understanding of the mathematical
problem, but the student was looking at the rat in the hole in
the ceiling. Each person is seeing from their own perspective,
so they miss the correct path. Forty years ago the Maharaja of
Mysore Jayarsamarajandra Udyar and Ramasami Mudalyar,
Tirulaxshmanaswami Mudalyar and the mother-in-law came to
see Swami. All of them visited the Chamumundeswari Temple.
Because the temple was close to their residence, the
seventy-year-old mother-in-law had never visited it. Because
the temple was close to her home she did not recognize the

importance of it. When something is close to us we do not
recognize the value of it. Until we lose our eyesight, we do not
understand the value of it. There are a lot of people who come
to Swami. When everything is available, we do not appreciate
the value of it. The people who do not understand this principle
are not human.

Swami sang "Prema Muditha Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama
Ram" after His discourse.

April 24, 1996


        20

THE DIVINE STATE IS ATTAINED THROUGH
DETACHMENT

Embodiments of Divine Love,

All forms represent Truth. When you realize Being,
Awareness, (Sat Chit) you will be in Peace. Human beings
come from Sat Chit Ananda. As all names and forms are
auspicious and Divine, the entire universe including the human
form represents "Sathyam,  Sivam ,Sundaram" (Truth,
Auspiciousness, Beauty). The body may change but the Atma
or Truth is changeless. Plato, the first disciple of Socrates was
determined to propagate Truth, Auspiciousness and Beauty.
Aristotle was the first disciple of Plato and Emperor Alexander
was the first disciple of Aristotle. They all propagated Truth,
Auspiciousness and Beauty. Aristotle being the preceptor of
Alexander, wanted to direct his mind on spiritual lines to take
him out of the mundane life. When Alexander was ready to
invade Bharat, Aristotle warned him: "It is a sacred land and
it is your good fortune to go there. Do not enter there in order
to fight with Bharathiyas. In Bharat every cell and atom is
sacred. Go but don't have hatred towards them. O Disciple,
bring back four things: First, bring with you the dust of the feet
of devotees from Kasi and Benares. Secondly, bring some
sacred water from the Ganges River which was born out of the
feet of Lord Vishnu. With the matted locks on the head of Lord
Shiva, with the third eye in the centre of His forehead, with red
lips and red dot, having full compassion. Lord Shiva manifests
there. The Ganges has fallen on the head of Lord Shiva so

bring Ganges water. Thirdly, bring back the Bhagavad Geetha
which contains the celestial songs sung by Lord Krishna during
the great Mahabharatha war. Fourthly, if possible bring back
a sanyasi (renunciant).

Foreigners in the past had such sacred thoughts about
Bharat. Bharat was a land of Truth, Righteousness, and
Sacrifice, but today it has become a land of pleasure. In those
days there was harmony between the thought, word and deed,
and the people understood the correct meaning of "manusha"
(man). Thus it was said, "The proper study of mankind is man."
A true human keeps his thought, word and deed in harmony;
every noble soul strove for this triple unity. God provides tests
and then accepts and confers Divine protection. We should not
understand them as only simple tests; since there is no other
suitable word we say test. God tests you to strengthen the latent
Divinity in you. In Bharat, the rishis undertook penance in the
forests by suffering great hardships and sacrificing food, thus
they lost all body awareness and were enabled to recognize
Divinity.

In Bharat, there was a certain kingdom named Satyajit.
The prince of that kingdom was also called Satyajit. One day
he was hunting in the forest when he came to a hermitage to
take rest. A sanyasi of the ashram thought that he looked like
a prince. He told Satyajit that he had only the ashram and
nothing else to offer.

When one offers a leaf in worship to God, what does it
mean? It is not just different plants that should be offered; the
leaf symbolises the body with the three attributes. We offer a

flower also in worship. It is not the one that we purchase in the
market, but the flower of the heart that blossoms and blossoms,
that should be offered to the Divine. We offer fruit, but it is not
the fruit we eat but the fruit of the good qualities manifested
through the tree of human life. Thus it is the fruit of the mind
that God wants. We offer water but it is not the water from the
tap, lake, rain or Ganges that one should offer but the tears of
devotion to God. So the leaf, flower, fruit and water are all
symbolic. In those days, the people offered their body as leaf,
the heart as flower, the mind and fruit of actions as fruit and
tears of Love and Bliss as water to God.

Then the sanyasi asked the prince who he was and where
he had come from. Satyajit replied that he had come from the
Kingdom of Satyajit. The sanyasi then told him that Satyajit
means one who speaks Truth, who acts righteously, and who
lives with Divine thoughts. The sanyasi wondered if Satyajit
was following that which his name indicated.

In this world everyone has been given names. In the name
Sundaraja, Sundar means beautiful but the one who carries this
name may not be beautiful; so the name may be one thing and
the reality another. Nowadays we name a person Dharmaraja
but he may not be practicing Dharma. We name a person
Harishchandra, but he will never speak the truth. So conduct
today often does not reflect the meaning of the name.

The sanyasi asked who had named him Satyajit and
whether he knew the meaning of his name. He explained that
Satyajit means one who knows no misery, to whom the whole
world is Divine, whatever happens. The sanyasi desired to test

him, to see if he was living up to his name. He said, " Boy,
stay in my ashram and I will give you these ochre clothes."
The boy obeyed, just as Rama had obeyed Vishwamitra. The
sanyasi then took Satyajit's discarded clothes to the kingdom of
Satyajit. At the gate to the Kingdom he met the watchman and
informed him of the prince. He said, "Look here, your prince
has been killed by wild animals and I have brought his
clothes." The watchman was not affected in the least by this
news. He simply replied, " His time was up, so he died; why
are you surprised." The sanyasi thought that this was an answer
given through total neglect by a mere watchman.

The sanyasi then met the king, placed the clothes in front
of him and informed him of the death of the prince. The king
merely replied, "Why are you crying? The body is like a water
bubble. All relationships, like passing clouds, did not come
before our birth nor will they accompany us after our life. So
why worry?" The sanyasi thought that the father hated the son
or else he may have many other wives and many more sons so
the prince's death was no loss. Just as Dasaratha paid heed to
Kaikeyi and drove Rama out, he too may not be bothered about
the loss of one son. The sanyasi then went to the queen,
thinking that she is bound to feel sad. She said, "Don't feel sad.
It is only a body. In the evening all the birds come on the tree
to take rest, but in the morning, the tree is empty. We are all
birds; what is the relationship between the tree and the birds?
Birds come to the tree but there is no relationship between the
tree and the birds. In the morning, all the birds go. Why should
you feel sad? The tree is one, and has no relationship with
anyone.

When he then informed his wife, the princess, of Satyajits'
death she started laughing. He could not understand why she
was laughing at the death of her husband. She said, "In this
continuous flow of the water of life, we are all like branches
carried away by the water coming together and separating. I am
only one branch and he is another. These two branches have
been carried by the flow of water. In this continuous flow of
water, we were united and now we are not. Why feel sad?."

Then the sanyasi's eyes opened. The watchman had replied
with courage. The king and queen were not sad at the loss of
their son. The wife who is half the body of the prince never
bothered. Therefore, the name of the kingdom "Satyajit" is
perfect.

The sanyasi, after returning to his ashram, decided to test
the prince by weeping in front of him. The prince said, "Crying
is not natural. When you see anyone crying, you will ask him
why he is crying, but if anyone is happy and smiling you won't
ask him why he is happy. This means that sadness is unnatural,
whereas happiness is natural. Bliss is natural. Why are you
crying"? The sanyasi replied, "Your country has been invaded.
Your mother and king are all killed and you have lost your
kingdom." Satyajit replied, "Have we brought the kingdom with
us at birth, or can we take it after death? Therefore why should
you cry? At the time of birth there is no necklace of pearls,
gold chains or precious stones around your neck but only the
consequences of your good and bad deeds from previous lives.
Lord Brahma sends us with a heavy garland, our good and bad
actions. Swami, why are you sad? We brought with us our
consequences so we have to experience them. We should not

feel sad as life is full of Bliss, and sadness is only of our
making." Thus Satyajit taught the sanyasi a great lesson. The
sanyasi prostrated before the prince. He believed him to be a
very noble soul and that all persons living in the kingdom are
noble too, since their thoughts, words and deeds are in
harmony. Throughout his life, man searches for happiness in
family, job and study, pining for Bliss, even though he has
originated from Bliss. Happiness is not to be found in the world
or in physical objects but emanates from the heart. Everything
comes from God, so we have to give everything back to God.

In Telugu there is a proverb; "The jackfruit with a rough,
tough and thorny covering has multiple fruits inside, containing
sweet juice." The many seeds inside can be compared to the
numerous children and grandchildren. In Bharat there is
oneness but you find separate cultures. Though the components
of the jackfruit are separate, the juice is only one. Thus,
mankind is of many different types of people but the Bliss is
one. Unfortunately, we keep in view only the physical form,
action and behaviour (outer covering). The nature of the Atma
(sweet juice) is immortal, one-pointed, subtle, pure and
unsullied.

Sakuntala spoke to her son Bharatha, "O prince, you have
forgotten the promise you made. You must always keep your
promise under any circumstances." Bharatha means adherence
to Truth and Righteousness; this is how our country derived the
name Bharat, so always act in harmony with your thoughts.
Bharat is the land of Truth.

The foul smelling body covered by skin houses the temple
of God within, thus the body is a moving temple. When once
this feeling persists, you will not tread on the wrong path. This
body with mind is a gift from God. Practice this
one-pointedness towards Truth or God. Satyajit's kingdom
epitomized Truth and Righteousness. From ancient times,
Bharat has provided peace and inner strength for the world.
Bharat is the land where God has taken human birth in the
form of Avatars.

Once when Prahlada declared that God was everywhere,
the king asked him whether God exists in the pillar too. When
Prahlada replied yes, the king then broke the pillar and the
Lord came out of it in the form of Narasimha (an avatar whose
form is half man and half lion). Here, our body represents the
pillar and when the body feeling is transcended or broken one
will experience Divinity. Do your duty without too much
attachment as it is harmful. You must wear the correct size of
shoes or you cannot walk comfortably.

Fill your heart with thoughts of the Divine. Realize that
good and bad are only in your vision; from God's perspective
(Truth Beauty and Goodness) every action and everything is
good. Develop the goodness within you, having the faith that
God resides in your heart.

Swami ended His Discourse with, "Govinda Hare, Gopala
Hare, Hey Gopi Gopa Bala."

April 25, 1996


        21

TO REALIZE UNION WITH THE DIVINE FILL
YOURSELF WITH DIVINE LOVE

Embodiments of Divine Love,

Brahman 's form is Love so is full of Love. It is wise for
everyone of us to have Love as the only connection. Love is
the basic principle for human life. For all living creatures. Love
is life but, however, this pure Divine Love has become one of
attachment. The mother dog will take care of her young ones
and give them milk due to Love. When you do not show Love
you will not have anyone near you. Of all the creatures in the
world, the human birth is the rarest and the noblest. However,
human love in the form of attachment is like a passing cloud.
Man boundlessly develops this temporary love, and does not
recognize the inner Bliss and Love of Atma. Physical love is
based on external relationships whereas inner Love is a matter
of heart to heart and Love to Love. Inner or Divine Love has
nothing to do with body and mind, but we do not have such
intense love towards the Atma. A few minutes earlier, Anil
Kumar said that faith should be first and Love next. This is not
proper. First should be Love, and then faith. Without Love,
there cannot be faith. Love is born with us and is always within
us. Life and Love are not separate, but due to worldly
attachments and relationships we are disappointed with Love.
The entire mankind is magnetised by Love only, and when
once you have Loved, have experienced Divine Love, you will
grow in faith. Therefore, the rope of Love which encircles

everybody is the true life. We experience appointment and
disappointment due to the nature of worldly love.

Schools should give education to promote life. However,
today the practical knowledge gained through schools is
elevation and not true education. In a village once there was a
poor family whose parents tried hard to educate their children
and in doing so faced great difficulties. Then after sometime
they desired to have their daughter married. The bride's parents
had respect only for the status of the groom's family; the groom
they decided upon was a modern student who boasted that he
is a university graduate and would not like to marry a village
girl but only an educated girl. His mother pleaded with him to
consider the advantages in marrying a simple village girl. If the
proper wife comes, she would attend to household work and
also serve the mother and father. The parents reasoned that as
the mother and the father are the direct representatives of God,
one should not disobey them. But the boy insisted upon
marrying only an educated girl. As the parents did not wish to
hurt their son's feelings, they visited the town, found a girl and
fixed the marriage. The boy exclaimed that he was completely
happy now. One morning after fifteen days of marriage, the boy
asked his wife, "My dear, prepare coffee for me." The girl
replied, "lama graduate and you are a graduate. You prepare
coffee for me." The boy now thought that his entire life was
one of darkness, since his wife would not cater to him.

People have given up spirituality in worldly matters. One
should begin and end life with Love to realize the oneness of
the Atma. If one does not realize this oneness, birth and death
repeat themselves. Over and over we lie in the womb of a

mother. The entire worldly life without Divine Love is one of
misery. One has to die one day, so one should end life in Love.
This Love is concealed within but we search for it outside in
transient relationships and objects. One must search for this
Divine Love within oneself.

There was a father who had an only son. One day while
the son was playing ball, the ball rolled into a corner. When the
boy went to the corner to retrieve the ball, he was bitten by a
scorpion. The father took him to the doctor who gave ointment
for the bite. The doctor told him that it must be applied to the
spot where he has been bitten to remove the pain. This father
was not very intelligent. When he asked his son where the
scorpion has bitten him the boy replied that it was over in the
corner. So the father applied the ointment in the corner. You
can only recover Love where you have lost it, within yourself.

Once an old lady was stitching clothes when she lost the
needle. She had no lamp with which to find the needle and also
had cataracts in her eyes. She began to search for the needle
under a streetlight when a boy passing by asked her where she
had lost the needle. She replied that she had lost the needle in
the hut, but she is searching for it outside because there is no
light inside.

Whatever spiritual practice we do such as meditation, yoga,
japa, all are transient and external but God and Divine Love
are permanent. We should develop a permanent relationship
with God who is eternal and changeless. Today you have
invested your Love in relationships with your mother and
father, brother and sister. When you have money, you deposit

it in a bank account for its accumulation, but we are losing our
money (Love) more and more through investment in transient
and worldly relationships. However, when we develop Divine
Love, everything else will flow naturally. The body has no
lasting value; the real value lies in our spiritual heart. In the
body, so long as one has breath, it is sivam (auspicious) not
shavam (a corpse). This auspiciousness is due to the Divine
presence in the living body.

A hunter went to the forest and started attacking rabbits
and other animals. A non vegetarian will tell you that the value
of a dead rabbit is in it's skin. A hunter also attaches value to
the skin of a goat, but no one will give any value to a dead
human body which is called shavam or a corpse. Life is God.
Life is Light. So long as there is Light there is life. Whatever
we do should be pleasing to God. Truly speaking, would the
one who eats sweets cherish bitter food? Divine Love is
nectarine whereas worldly love is temporary. Worldly love is
sweet poison in that it appears to be sweet but breaks your
heart. All hearts are bound together by Divine Love.

Two yards of cloth are required to stitch a shirt. When you
give the fabric to the tailor, he'll cut it into pieces to make the
collar, sleeves and pockets, etc. These pieces refer to worldly
life, whereas spiritual life is like the needle which stitches all
the pieces together. The cloth has been cut by the scissors into
many pieces. Thus the worldly life is like the scissors which
separate while the Divine Love is like the needle which brings
about wholeness. The needle has a small hole which may be
likened to wisdom, and the thread to Love. We carry with us
the cloth, the worldly life, which is cut into so many problems

and turmoil. When we carry Divinity, the Divine vision will put
everything together again. What we put on is Dharma. If we do
not see the world with Love, everyone and everything will
seem to be separated. In families because the members are
separated, there is no happiness. Love is an essential foundation
for the growth of self-confidence; faith can be developed later.
All other qualities are very low in comparison to Love. Jewels
are many but the gold is only one. Without the gold of Love,
how can one receive the jewellery of peace and comfort? Anil
Kumar said that one cannot learn to swim on sand or on the
road but one must jump into the water. One should take the
help and support which will allow one to float. That help is
Divine Love. After you learn, you no longer need help. A green
bitter gourd (a vegetable), sinks when placed in water but floats
when dry. So long as one is full of worldly desires, one will
drown in the worldly life but when the desires are directed
towards God, one would float like the dry gourd. A pure iron
rod would sink in water but if pounded and made into a hollow
tube it would float. When you transform yourself into a
container of pure Spirit you become light and rise up. The
spiritual deservedness enables one to keep his boat floating on
the water of worldly life, but if water gets in, it would sink. So
as not to sink one should learn to live in the world without
carrying worldly things inside oneself. One's heart is neither a
double-seat sofa nor a game of musical chairs. The seat of
one's heart should be reserved only for God.

Without Love, how can one develop faith? First there
should be Love, then faith would follow. Troubles come not for
lack of faith but for lack of Love. After marriage, the husband
declares that she is my wife and then develops love for her but

when he discovers mistakes in her, his love is cut off. God is
unconditional Love, so live in Love. Conduct your life with
Love as the only goal and then faith will follow automatically.
All worldly love is based on faith, but when this faith is
broken, love is lost. Love is life but faith is like passing clouds
that come and go.

Stars exist during the daytime but they are not visible due
to the light from the sun. Night and day come and go due to
the rotation of the earth while revolving around the sun.
Likewise when you switch off the light, you will be able to see
the glow worm. Similarly, when one starts loving. Spiritual
Dharma, (Righteous, Loving Action) will increase. In order to
be Blissful, one should Love all and Love God. When you have
the Divine experience of Love, you will then naturally Love all.
When your head and heart are devoid of attachment and
desires, then you will be able to fill them with Divinity. As
long as you are full of worldly feelings, you cannot experience
Divinity. Can insects that crawl on the flower become
butterflies? A pig can never become an elephant. Can you ever
attach the tusks of an elephant to a bull that has horns? When
you lead your life only by worldly feelings, you will become
distressed. Love is very powerful whereas faith is only
knowledge. With Love, all can be together as one without
misery. If you want to have peace you need Love. For the
welfare of the country, Love, Love, Love.

There is a relationship between worldly and Divine Love.
Parikshit asked his guru, Sri Shuka the following question.
"The Gopikas love Krishna intensely but how can they attain
liberation?." Shuka clearly understood the nature of Love. The

sage replied, "The Gopikas' love may not be completely pure,
but even if drainage water combines with seawater there would
be no effect on the seawater. First, love Krishna as God. Join
your low impure love with the infinite stainless Love of God.
One cup of milk will become diluted when mixed with ten cups
of water, the substance with the higher quality is more
valuable. You should make every effort to manifest your innate
Divinity. In the world there is no diamond as valuable as Love.
Do not ruin your sacred life; develop Love and leave hatred.
Divine feeling and creation are infinite." The Gopikas asked
Krishna, "Can we ever know You? You are the smallest of the
small and the biggest of the big. You are in all the 84 lakhs (a
lakh is 100,000) of living species on earth."

Swami's message is one in all of your hearts, even though
your bodies are separate and your minds are separate. Swami's
Love is the Divine magnet that has drawn you all here to this
place. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. Everywhere
life is full of fear and man cannot seem to get away from it.
Fear alone is life for the one who knows no refuge or help. In
order to be away from fear, one must develop and manifest his
innate Divine Love.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita
Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama, Ram. "

April 27, 1996


        22

DEVELOP LOVE AND SURRENDER
TO REALIZE FREEDOM

Swami sang in Telugu,

One's body is like an iron box that has no value. Like the
jewel it encases, God dwells in the heart as Love.

Embodiments of Divine Love,

Every heart is the temple of God. Tyagaraja has declared
that God is present in an ant as well as throughout the entire
cosmos. We should pray, "O Lord, You are present as Shiva
and Keshava, please Love me and protect me." Tyagaraja has
declared that Satchitananda (Being, Awareness, Bliss) is
present in all living creatures. But the modern man is
investigating everything external and not what is internal.
Though we know that God is present in everything, we still
make mistakes and commit sins.

If we want to know who is greater, the devotee or God, we
must make an investigation. Pariprashna means a prayer
offered to God in order to clarify one's doubts.

Once Narada said to God, "Narayana, You are everywhere.
Even though all names are Yours, it is still not possible to fully
describe Your greatness." Narayana replied, "Narada, you are
mistaken; I am not the greatest as I submit myself to the
devotee." Every person should pray that he should be permitted
to be the servant of God's servants. Narada said, "Narayana
considers Himself a servant of God's servants." Narayana

declared that Narada who is always thinking of God, is a great
devotee. Narayana asked Narada, "You have travelled
throughout the world. What do you think is the most important
thing in the world?"

Narada told Narayana that the most important, greatest
thing must be the earth. But Narayana answered, "How can
earth be greatest when three-fourths of the earth is covered by
water?" So Narada acknowledged that water must be greater
because it has swallowed the earth.

The Lord continued with His questioning. He said, "But
Narada, we have the ancient tale that when the demons hid in
the waters, then in order to find them, Sage Agasthya came and
swallowed up the whole ocean in one sip. Do you think
Agasthya is greater or the ocean is greater?" Narada had to
agree that without doubt Agasthya is certainly greater than the
water he swallowed. "But," continued the Lord "it is said that
when he left his earthly body, this same Agasthya is now
appearing only as a small star in the vast expanse of the sky.
Then what do you think is bigger, Agasthya or the sky?"
Narada answered, "Swami, the sky is surely bigger than
Agasthya." Then the Lord asked, "Yet we know that one time
when the Lord came as Avatar, He was able to fit both the
earth and the sky under His one foot. Do you think God's foot
or the sky is bigger?" "Oh, God's foot is certainly bigger,"
Narada replied. But then the Lord asked, "If His foot Itself is
so big, what about His infinite form?"

Now Narada felt that he had come to the final conclusion.
"Yes," he said exultantly, "the Lord is the biggest of all. He is

infinite beyond measure. In all the world there is nothing
greater than He." But the Lord still had one more question.
"What about the devotee who has been able to imprison this
infinite Lord within his own heart? Now tell me, Narada, who
is greater, the devotee who has locked up the Lord or the Lord
who is locked up by the devotee?" Narada had to admit that the
devotee is even greater than the Lord, and that, therefore, the
devotee must rank first in importance over everything,
surpassing even the Lord.

So such a devotee should never consider himself weak, as
God is a servant of such devotees. If we have God installed in
our hearts through our love for Him, we can have the whole
world. So we must develop devotion. We should shape our
hearts into purer more suitable dwelling places for God.

Once a devotee prayed, "Oh God, if you were a tree, I
would climb around you like a creeper. It is my desire to never
be separate from you. Oh God, if You were a fragrant flower,
I would go around You like a bee making a humming sound
until I finished drinking the nectar from You. If You were the
ocean, I would be a river and merge into You. If You were the
sky, I would be the star shining there in You. If You were a
mountain, I would be the stream running over you. That is the
kind of feeling and intimate relationship that should exist
between God and the devotee. As a flower blooms, it does not
invite the honeybee to come to it. So also, the devotee on his
own should go and merge himself in God. There is no
fundamental difference between a river and the ocean, but so
long as they are separate they carry different names. When
once they merge together, they would have the same name and

taste. If I am not there, then there is no taste in you. If you are
not there, there is no taste in me. God without the devotee and
the devotee without God cannot exist. Some people think that
God is stone-hearted, but God is softer than butter. What must
one do to melt this soft, sweet butter that is God? One must
apply Love; that is the heat. The more Love (heat) that is
applied, the faster God will melt. This heat is generated by
repetition of the name and simultaneous remembrance of the
form of God. When the name and form are rubbed together, the
necessary heat is generated. Nothing melts the heart of God
except the devotion of the devotee.

One day there was a priest praying to Lord Shiva in the
temple. He noticed that a yogi was keeping both of his feet on
the lingam and resting his head on Nandi (the bull (dharma),
the vehicle of Lord Shiva). The priest became very angry and
exclaimed to himself, "He is not a yogi, he must be a
madman." The priest asked him, "Are you in your right mind?"
The yogi replied, "Tell me where there is no Eashwara (God),
so I can rest my feet there." The priest was still very angry. At
that moment a lingam manifested in the temple; lingams
continued to manifest wherever this yogi placed his feet. This
story illustrates that with broad-mindedness one will be able to
realize that everything is Divine, and that one's own heart is the
temple of God.

Narada once requested Narayana to publicize His
permanent address for the entire world to know. Narayana
replied, "Wherever My devotee sings My glory, there I will
install Myself. Kailash and Vaikunta are only My branch
offices; the heart of the devotee is My head office."

Radha told Krishna, "The priest has not permitted me entry
to the temple because I am a woman. O my mind, the Ganga
and Yamuna rivers containing pure water meet at the centre of
the two eyebrows. The Ganga and Yamuna Rivers, symbolizing
the devotee's flow of pure Love and Devotion, meet between
the eyebrows." It is here that the devotee realizes God. The
physical form of God can be seen with one's naked eye, but the
Divine form can be seen with wisdom's eye (the third eye or
the sixth chakra centre). Having travelled all the distance to
visit a temple, we close our eyes to experience the Divine form.
The formless God is seen by the eye of wisdom, so when you
close your eyes you will have inner vision as there is no greater
temple than one's own body. One must develop Love to know
consciousness, the indweller. In the process of developing the
inner vision, though one will face many obstacles, one must
continue to do spiritual practice in all aspects of one's life. As
we retreat more and more from the unreal, material life, God
advances nearer and nearer to us. God feels that the devotee
has spoilt himself, so God wants to catch him and reform and
transform him.

Birth, life on earth, family life, childhood, old age, failure
and death are all full of worries. Happiness and misery are both
worries. Human life is like the fruit of a tamarind tree (at the
first taste, sour, but later sweet) with twelve types of worries,
but where inside sweetness lies. Man fulfils his material
desires, but never attains permanent happiness. A couple may
celebrate their marriage happily, but up until the marriage they
would have had many worries. When the couple marries, the
mothers weep; people cry in happiness too. In this world every
action is full of worry. When there is a plan to build a house,

there is worry. In old age at last, people desire to develop
devotion to God to get rid of all their worries. If one has
devotion to God he will have no worries.

One goes on labelling rooms in one's home as the
bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, etc., but it is only the
walls in between that are the cause for the rooms. If one
removed the walls, there would be no bedroom or bathroom,
etc.; there would only be a big hall. These walls symbolize the
attachments that prevent the realization of the unity of
existence. Develop attachment to God instead, so that one can
develop broad mindedness. What is the disposition of a parrot
within a cage? Is it happy? Man is also confined like a parrot
within a cage; His freedom lies in merging with Divine Love.
In order for one to be successful in any endeavour, he should
have Love for God. Man is presently searching for freedom but
it will only come to his feet with Divine selfless Love. God is
not greater than a devotee; when one acquires devotional Love,
God will submit Himself to that devotee.

There exists a fort with seven rounds of walls containing
a garden in the centre. We must sing the glory of Rama to light
the lamp in the interior garden. Truth is the wick for this lamp.
Anger, lust, greed, envy, delusion, hate, and jealousy are the
seven walls that prevent man from knowledge of the way to
enter the garden inside the fort. If one sings the glory of Lord
Rama, God will make him reach the inner garden so that
neither the fort with the walls nor the inner courtyard could
keep him bound.

Man is always standing on one limb of a tree (ego), and at
the same time is holding onto another branch (attachment).
When man gives up his hold and lets go (surrenders), he will
reach God. With continuous thoughts of God, make God the
tree and yourself the creeper.

Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Rama, Rama,
Rama Sita; Rama, Rama, Rama Sita."

April 28, 1996


        23

CHANT THE NAMES OF THE LORD WHICH ARE
SWEETER THAN SUGAR, TASTIER THAN CURD

Embodiments of Divine Love,

The Name of God is the sweetest thing in the world.
Nothing else can compare in sweetness to it. There are varieties
of tastes, each person having his own taste. But that taste is of
the tongue, not of the heart. True happiness comes from the
heart whereas other types of happiness are temporary. Worldly
happiness changes every second, whereas the bliss of the Atma
is changeless. Devotees have prayed to God from ancient times.
Even though they have prayed to God for a long time, the
devotee did not receive what he desired. What is the reason?
The reason is that the devotee does not consider that the idol
or picture of the deity they are worshipping contains the living
Presence of the Divine. If they would feel the Divine Presence,
they would feel the Divine Bliss. But even the devotees who
say that they are the servants of God do not experience the
Divine Presence in the idols and pictures of the deities.

God is the eternal Bliss, indestructible and all-powerful.
We do not have a firm belief in this. Once there was a student
who desired to get very good marks in his examinations. He
took a picture of Rama and began to pray to it. But in spite
of his prayers to Rama, he found that he was unable to answer
any of the questions on the exam. So the next day he put Rama's
picture away in the cupboard. Because Rama did not fulfill his
desires, he took Lord Krishna's picture and began to pray to it.

That day the examination was even more difficult than the
previous day, so he was very disappointed. He put away Lord
Krishna's picture also in the cupboard. On the third day, he
took Parameshwara's picture and began praying with intense
devotion. But he failed the exam that day. He then took the
Divine Mother Lalita's picture and performed special prayers in
the correct manner with incense, fruits and prasad. At this time
he observed that the smoke from the incense was drifting
towards the cupboard. He wondered why the smoke should go
to Rama and Krishna's side rather than Lalita's as they did not
fulfill his desires. He brought a piece of cloth, tore it into three
pieces, then tied a piece around the nose on each picture in the
cupboard. Immediately Rama, Krishna and Parameshwara
appeared in front of him. He was surprised. He exclaimed, "Oh,
what a surprise! When I prayed to You earlier You did not
come. Why have You come now?" He was very happy.
Hesitatingly, he asked Them, "Swami, I respected You, I
praised You, I prayed to You, but You appeared only when I
smothered You with a piece of cloth?" "All this time you
prayed you did not believe in Our Presence in these pictures.
Only now you covered Our noses believing that We breathe.
Only that belief is the reason for Us to appear in front of you."

Our prayers will not reach God if we keep on praying not
believing in the living Presence in the pictures and idols to
which we offer the prayers. When you believe that the idols
and pictures are alive, then only your desires will be fulfilled.
You should understand the fact that God is alive. If you agree
that God is omnipresent, but at the same time you do not feel
His Presence in the picture, then you prove your disbelief in
His living Presence in the picture.

O God, You are present everywhere in the entire universe.
How can I build a temple for You? Your effulgence is like
millions of suns. how can I offer you a small light? Even
Brahma the Creator could not find Your true form. O, God,
You are present in all the bodies of water; how can I offer You
water? When the entire universe is in Your stomach, how can
I feed you? Who can tell the ignorant people struggling for
their daily life about Your glory? I cannot tell You any more
than this.

O, God, You are omnipresent. You are in the five
elements. Your power is inherent in water, wind, and all over
the world. When we worship God, we should believe that He
is all-powerful. We should not say that God is in one place and
not in another place. He is everywhere.

All that we perceive are our own reflections, reactions and
resounds. A shepherd, tending his cattle between two
mountains, was happily watching his cattle grazing on the
grass. He sat on the rocks and began singing, "Oh, God, who
travels on Garuda, please come slowly and softly to drink some
buttermilk." So God, disguised as a brahmin, came. The
shepherd said to the brahmin, "All the pundits say that all Gods
- Rama, Vishnu, Narayana - should have a namam on the
forehead. But you don't look like them, so I am not certain who
you are."

Everything the shepherd was speaking echoed, so he
became angry. The shepherd said to the brahmin, "You sing
like me, who are you?" "You tell your name first and then I
will tell my name." The same thing echoed again. This

argument went on until four o'clock in the evening. The
shepherd proceeded home with his herd saying to the brahmin,
"I will return tomorrow." After reaching home, the shepherd
told his mother that someone in the mountain had insulted him
by mimicking whatever he had said. "If I blamed him, he
blamed me. He is repeating the same words that I have said. I
wish to go there in the early morning to search for him to tell
him that I hate him. You also accompany me if you wish and i
see for yourself. I cannot bear his insults and I am not going to
tend the herd from tomorrow." His mother replied, "Okay, I
will come to see." They arrived at the same place and the
mother said to him, "Now, you speak."

So he asked loudly, "Who is that who spoke yesterday?"
There was no answer. He heard the echo from his own voice.
"See, Mother, he's repeating what I am saying." The Mother
understood the truth. She said, "Son, there is no enemy for you
here; nobody is hating you. You are in between two mountains
so whatever you speak resounds."

Everybody has the reaction, reflection, and resound. If we
think that somebody has hurt us, it is actually the resound of
our own hateful feelings. Whatever we experience in life is the
result of reflection, reaction and resound. Where is Reality? It
is in your own heart. Whatever we speak from our heart is the
form of Truth. This is called conscience. Your true quality is
the form of your conscience. Conscience should not be altered
to suit the society. When consciousness takes a human form it
is called avatar. If you wish to understand the true nature of
the avatar, you should believe it has Eternal Life. Whatever we
worship, we should believe it has life (consciousness). We

differentiate the rooms in a house saying one is a dining room,
a prayer room, etc. But we should consider that every room is
a prayer room. God is present in all the places and at all the
times. It is not the place but one's feelings that matter. God
considers your feelings, not the external appearances. You are
fortunate to have the avatar in front of you who embodies
Eternal Life. There are presently so many people in the world.
When Lord Krishna was on earth, then there were so many;
when Lord Rama was there, there were so many. Did all of
those people understand and worship Them? Did they all have
firm belief? No. Only a very few of them believed. If you have
God's picture in front of you, you should believe that is has
life. That is the Truth.

God is of the form of consciousness. God says that He
resides in the heart of the person who sings, praising Him and
constantly thinking of Him. If you wish to gain My grace, first
become My devotee, meditate on Me, bow down to Me and
believe that I have life. If you do not believe that there is a
Living Presence, all your worship is of no use.

Many people are reading the holy books. Many are
reciting the Vedas. But do they understand the Truth? What is
the reason? It is the ego related to the knowledge of the
scriptures. They do not have the feeling of the Living Presence
of God because of their ego. Once the egoism is destroyed,
they would be able to feel the Living Presence of God in the
picture.

In the world, the spiritual practices and prayers are
performed in a variety of ways. God is not attracted by the

particular practice you do; He sees only your yearning and the
anguish in your heart. Does He need your worship? He is the
Creator. On the tree of human life there are many fruits.
Everyone has the fruit of wisdom within himself. This fruit of
wisdom has a sweet essence  this is the Love Principle. To
get this sweet essence, one has to remove the bitter skin and
then remove the seeds inside. Then only when we drink this
juice we will experience the Bliss. The fruit of wisdom is
covered by the skin of ego and the seeds of doubts. We must
remove all of them and only then we get the pure unsullied
essence. This will be sweeter than sugar, and tastier than milk
and curds, tastier than honey. Everyday chant the name of God,
Rama, if you wish to enjoy the sweet essence believing in the
Living Presence. Even if you pray for a long time, without
removing the ego, you will never enjoy the Divine Bliss.

Once, all the gopis wished to visit Madurai, so they
boarded a boat on the River Yamuna. They wanted to reach the
next morning, so they boarded the previous evening. All the
gopis were singing the praise of Lord Krishna and sharing their
experiences, conversations and His flute songs, while they were
rowing the boat, one after the other. Soon it was morning and
the sun was shining. They found that the boat hadn't moved at
all. It was at the same place, tied by a rope to a big post. They
had forgotten to untie it. This rope that prevented them from
reaching Krishna was the rope of worldly attachments. The
rope is the attachment to "me" and "mine". We do many
spiritual practices, sing bhajans, meditate, listen to discourses
 what is the use? The reason is attachment,  ego follows
attachment and this leads to many bad qualities.

You don't own this body. If it is yours, why don't you cure
the illnesses the body gets? This human body is the gift of
God. The human body which is given by God should be
devoted to do His work and services. There are no sadhanas,
yogas, penance or yagnas better than this. What is the use of
spiritual practices? What is the use of performing yagnas? If
you don't surrender your heart to God and offer work to Him,
it is like rowing the boat which is tied up.

Therefore we should surrender the attachment to the body
to God. This is what Utthava did at the end. Utthava was with
Krishna throughout 83 years. He respected Him as a very close
friend. He didn't worship Him (as realizing) the Living
Presence, but later when he realized that God was within him,
he said:

"God, I surrender my heart to You which You gave me as
your gift. Glorious Almighty, I dedicate my heart to You. What
else can I offer You to worship Your lotus Feet? Please accept
this, Swami, please do accept."

Who gave this (human) body? Who gave the Life to it?
Who gave the feelings? Understand this. If you want to attain
a higher level, leave your silly thoughts.

Even today we go to temples; we got to Thirupathi.
Wherever God is. He is Sath Chit Anand. The devotee who
goes 'to Thirupati takes with him a lot of desires and he shaves
his hair off there so that his desires could be fulfilled. Why do
you think God wants your hair? You should give your love to
God instead of giving the impermanent hair which falls away.

Sita, in the jungle of Ashoka, waited eagerly and with
anguish for the good news from Rama. Ravana came and said,
"Sita, You are not going to get Rama anymore," and with his
illusory power showed her Rama's head. For a moment Sita
was very sad. But she realized that Rama has satwic qualities,
auspicious qualities, and no one can win over Rama. Lord
Narayana only has taken the form of Rama. This is only an
illusion (what Ravana has shown her).

Sita took a small piece of grass and put it in front of
Ravana and said, "All your capabilities are like this small grass.
Without Rama's Will nothing would happen in this world."

People do not understand that nothing will happen without
the Will of God. They do not try to understand what is behind
His decisions and what will happen later. Why should you say
this and that? You are like an ant to Brahman. People do not
try to understand or to know or to inquire about this. They are
very proud of their intelligence. They do not know what is
going to happen to them due to their past karma.

"Even a small blade of grass will not move without Your
Will" (song).

All these are the reactions of their inner motives. Even
their mind will not work without God's will. You decide using
your knowledge, wealth, physical strength, and intelligence. If
God wishes He can make the earth into sky and sky into earth,
sand into gold and gold into diamond. Therefore we should
cultivate love which will soften God's heart. Love is the reason
for everything. Love is God. Live in Love.

When you cultivate Love the Godliness comes into you.
But there should be a time for it (the time has to come). God
is the form of time.

Kalaya Namah, Kalakalaya namah
Kala thathvaya namaha
Kala swarupaya namaha
Kala vhithaya namaha

Time is everything. People wait for a long time to get the
Grace of God. But they do not get it. Till the fruit is not ripe,
it is sour. When it is ripe, it is sweet.

You may think that you have not got the Grace of God
until yesterday. When, where, and how you will get the Grace
of God depends on the accumulation of karma you have done
on your previous births.

When it rains, the small rain drops make a big stream.
Similarly the reason for the Godliness appearing in you is your
actions of your past, present and the future.

Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow? Who
knows whether we will be alive tomorrow or not?

Body is like a bubble, mind is like a monkey. Don't follow
the mind. Don't follow the body. Follow the conscience. This
is what we should follow. Conscience is the philosophy of
Love, quality of Love. We should follow it. Do not let it go.

Ramadas sings: "If you don't fulfil my desires I won't let
you take a step forward." Rama appeared in front of him with
a tray in His hand saying, "Ramadas, you have been starving
for four or five days. Take this food." Ramadas replied, "I do
not want any food. I only want Your lotus feet." Rama brought
a gold chain in front of his eyes. Ramdas being very intelligent
then replied, "Do you think you can give with Your Hand and
run away? You are everything to me. I have nobody." There
are thousands of devotees who have learnt the Sastras, Vedas
and Vedantas and the Bhagavatham. A child looks at the
Bhagavatham. A pundit also looks at it. The child concentrates
on the beautiful pictures of Krishna turning page by page. The
pundit turns the pages and tries to find the meaning in it. Both
are turning the pages. Even though the child does not
understand the meaning, it fixes the mind on the form. We also
should focus our minds on the form of God. What is the use of
knowing only the meaning? What do you understand by saying
God is Sat Chit Anand? Sat chit Anand is not in the world, it
is in the form. Therefore, we should imprint the form in our
heart and enjoy it with love.

Swami concluded His Discourse with the bhajan, "Bhajana
bina sukha shanti nahi."

April 29, 1996





GLOSSARY

Aarati              Waving burning camphor before a Deity
 as a conclusion of worship, asking that
 ignorance about Truth be removed.

Aham Brahmasmi   "I am Brahman." This is one of the great
 Vedic Dicta (Mahaa Vaakyaas).

Ananda             Divine bliss. The Self is unalloyed,
 eternal bliss. Pleasures are but its faint
 and impermanent shadows.

Arjuna              The recipient of Krishna's teachings in
 the Bhagavad Geetha.

Atma               Self; Soul. Self, with limitations, is jeeva
 (the individual soul). Self, with no
 limitations, is Brahman (the Supreme
 Reality).

Bhagavan          Lord. God.

Bhagavad Geetha    A portion of the Mahabharata in which
 Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, gives
 instructions to Arjuna.

Bhajans            Devotional songs. Congregational chant
 group worship by  devotees  with
 devotional music in which repetition of
 holy names predominates.

Bhakti              Devotion to God; intense selfless love
 for God.

Brahman           The Supreme Being; the Absolute
 Reality; Impersonal God with no form or
 attributes. The uncaused cause of the
 Universe; Existence-Consciousness-Bliss
 Absolute (Sath-Chith-Anandha)-, The
 Eternal   Changeless   Reality,   not
 conditioned  by   time,  space  and
 causation.

Brahmarishi         An adept, a special teacher and a
 preserver of yoga who has perfect
 control over senses and mind and is
 devoid of aharnkara (ego); one who has
 attained a far higher level that a rajarishi.

Buddhi             Intellect;   intelligence;   faculty  of
 discrimination.

Chakras             Psychic centres in the body.

Chit                Consciousness.

Dharma             Righteousness; religion; code of duties;
 essential nature of a being or thing. It
 holds together the entire Universe. Man
 is exhorted to practise Dharma to
 achieve material and spiritual welfare.
 The Vedas contain the roots of Dharma.
 God is naturally interested in the reign of
 Dharma.

Eashwara           The Supreme Ruler; the Personal God;
 He is Brahman associated with Maya but
 has it under His control unlike the jeeva
 who is Maya's slave. He has a lovely
 form, auspicious attributes and infinite
 power to create, sustain and destroy. He
 dwells in the heart of every being,
 controlling it from within. He responds
 positively to true devotion and sincere
 prayer.

Gopis             The women of the village of Gokul.

Supreme devotees of Krishna.

Japam               Pious repetition of holy name or sacred
 manthra,   practised  as  a  spiritual
 discipline.

Japa                Literally,   'muttering',   but   as   an
 abbreviated form of nama-japa it means
 repetition of the name of God.

Jnana               Sacred knowledge; knowledge of the
 spirit,  pursued  as   a  means   to
 Self-realisation. It is direct experience of
 God, as the Soul of the souls. Jnanam
 makes a man omniscient, free, fearless
 and immortal.

Kailasa             A sacred mountain in the Himalayas
 where Siva is supposed to reside.

Karma              Action; deed; work; religious rite; the
 totality of innate tendencies formed as a
 consequence of acts done in previous
 lives. Every karma produces a lasting
 impression on the mind of the doer, apart
 from affecting others. Repetition of a
 particular karma produces a tendency
 (vasana) in the mind. Karma is of three
 kinds: (i) Prarabda: which is being
 exhausted   in   the   present   life,
 (ii) Aagami: which is being accumulated
 in the present life, and (iii) samchitha:
 which is stored to be experienced in the
 future. Karma in other words is action,
 consequence of actions and destiny.

Kauravas           A family in the Mahabharata who were
 the chief antagonists of the Pandavas;
 Arjuna was one of the Pandavas and
 with Krishna's assistance the Kauravas
 were destroyed.

Krishna            An incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu.

Lakshmana          Brother of Rama.

Lanka              Island of Ceylon, Sri Lanka.

Lingam             Sign; symbol of that from which
 everything has emerged and that into
 which everything merges.

Mahabharata        The Hindu epic composed by Sage
 Vyasa which deals with the deeds and
 fortunes of the cousins (the Kauravas
 and Pandavas) of the Lunar race, with
 Lord Krishna playing a significant and
 decisive role in shaping the events. The
 Bhagavad   Geetha   and   Vishnu
 Sahasranama occur in this great epic. It
 is considered to be the Fifth Veda by the
 devout Hindus. Of this great epic, it is
 claimed that "what is not in it is
 nowhere."

Mahavakyas         Literally it means 'great sayings'; more
 specifically it refers to four Upanishadic
 quotations which affirm the reality of the
 Self:
 (1) 'That thou art',
 (2) 'I am Brahman',
 (3) 'This Self is Brahman',
 (4) 'Prajnana   (consciousness)   is
 Brahman'.

Manas              Mind, the inner organ which has four
 aspects: (i) Manas,  (Mind) which
 deliberates, desires and feels; (ii) Buddhi,
 (intellect) that understands, reasons and
 decides; (iii) Ahamkara, (I sense) and
 (iv) Chitta, (memory). The Mind with all
 its desires and their broods, conceals the
 Divinity within man. Purification of the
 mind is essential for realisation of the
 Self.

Manthra            A sacred formula, mystic syllable or
 word  symbol  uttered  during  the
 performance of the rituals or meditation.
 They represent the spiritual truths
 directly revealed to the Rishis (seers).
 The section of the Veda which contains
 these hymns (manthras) is called the
 Samhitha.

Maya               An aspect of the Divine. That power of
 bewilderment which gives the appearance
 of reality to that which is unreal, and
 which binders the perception of the real.

Nididhyasana       Concentration on the truth about the Self
 after hearing it (sravana) from the guru
 and reflecting on it (manana). It is thus
 the third step on the Path of Knowledge
 (Jnana-Yoga).

Om               The primeval sound by which God
 sustains the cosmos.

Paramatma         The Atma viewed in its universal aspect.
 God.

Prakrithi            Nature; the Divine Power of Becoming;
 also known as Maya, Avidhya and
 Shakthi; the world of matter and mind as
 opposed to the Spirit. Prakrithi has three
 dispositions or gunas (sathwa, rajas, and
 thamas) that go into the make-up of all
 living and non-living beings in the
 Universe, in varying proportions leading
 to the appearance of infinite multiplicity
 in form, nature and behaviour.

Prema             Ecstatic love of God; (Divine Love of
 the most intense kind).

Rajarishi           An adept, a special teacher and a
 preserver of yoga, who has not attained
 a level of a Brahmarishi; an example of
 a Rajarishi is Vishwamitra who had to
 perform long and ardous tapas to
 become a Brahmarishi.

Rama              An Avatar of God preceding the Avatar
 of Krishna. He who confers bliss. That in
 the heart, which is pure delight.

Ramayana          This sacred Hindu epic composed by
 Sage Valmeeki deals with the incarnation
 of Vishnu as Shri Rama who strove all
 his life to reestablish the reign of
 Dharma in the world. The Ramayana has
 played a very important role in
 influencing and shaping the Hindu ethos
 over the centuries.

Rajas/Rajo Guna     One of the three gunas (qualities or
 dispositions) of Maya or Prakrithi. Rajas
 is the quality of nature.

Raja yoga          The system of yoga formulated by
 Patanjali: 'raja' literally means 'royal'.

Ravana             Demon king who kidnapped Sita, the
 consort of Rama.

Rishi                A great saint, fully knowing the
 omnipresence of God.

Sadhana             The spiritual life practiced in everyday
 life. Words, thoughts and actions which
 purify mind and heart of illusion and
 delusion; Spiritual discipline or effort
 aimed at God realisation. The sadhaka
 (aspirant) uses the spiritual discipline to
 attain the goal of realisation.

Sai                  The Divine Mother of all.

Samadi             It   is   the   super-conscious   state
 transcending the body,  mind and
 intellect, attained through rigorous and
 protracted Sadhana. In that state of
 consciousness, the objective world and
 the ego vanish and the Reality is
 perceived or communed with, in utter
 peace and bliss. When in this state, the
 aspirant realises his oneness with God, it
 is called Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

Sankara            Also   called   Sankaracharya:   an
 eight-century religious reformer and
 philosopher. He was the first to
 popularise the teachings of advaita
 Vedanta.

Sanyasi             A spiritual aspirant who has abandoned
 attachment to worldly objects and
 relationships and who lives apart from
 others. Often he/she is a homeless
 wanderer.

Sathwa             One of the three gunas (qualities and
 dispositions) of Maya or Prakrithi. It is
 the quality of purity, brightness, peace
 and harmony. It leads to knowledge.
 Man is exhorted to overcome thamas by
 rajas, and rajas by sathwa and finally to
 go beyond sathwa itself to attain
 liberation.

Sat                 Being.

Sat-Chit-Ananda    Being-Consciousness-Bliss

Shastras            The Hindu scriptures containing the
 teachings of the rishis. The Vedas, the
 Upanishads, the lthihasas (epics), the
 Puranas and the Smrithis (codes of
 conduct), etc., form the Shastras of the
 Hindus. They teach us how to live
 wisely and well with all the tenderness
 and concern of the Mother.

Shiva               One of the three principal Hindu deities.
 Sri Ramana also used the word as a
 synonym for Self.

Swami             A title of respect given to spiritual
 personages.

Tapas               The practice of austerities designed to
 weaken the conviction that man is body.

Telugu             The native tongue of Sri Sathya Sai
 Baba. The language of Andhra Pradesh.

Thamas             One of the gunas (qualities and
 dispositions) of Maya or Prakrithi. It is
 the quality of dullness, inertia, darkness
 and tendency to evil. It results in
 ignorance.

Upanishad          The very sacred portions of the Vedas
 that deal with God, man and universe,
 their  nature  and  interrelationships.
 Spiritual knowledge (jnana) is their
 content, so they form the Jnana Kanda
 the Vedas.

Vaikuntha          The heaven of Vishnu.

Vedas              The oldest and the holiest of the Hindu
 scriptures, dating from 2000 B.C. to 500
 B.C., the primary source of authority in
 Hindu religion and philosophy. They are
 four in number - the Rig Veda, Sama
 Veda, Yajar Veda and Atharva Veda.

Vedanga           Additions to the Veda.

Vishnu             One of the three principal deities of
 Hinduism.   Vishnu  periodically
 reincarnates in a human body.

Yoga               Means union with God, as also the path
 by which this union of the soul with God
 is achieved. The four important paths of
 Yoga are those of knowledge, action,
 meditation and devotion.






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01. 365-Treasures of Our Beloved      Monica Sahu 60.00

02. 9-Gems To Be Youths               55.00
03. And The Greatest Is Love          AnnemarieMarwaha 60.00

04. AumAmuAum                          J.Jagadeesan 15.00

05. AumSriSathyaSaiRam                 K.KrishnaRao 20.00

06. Baba The Super Human              A.B.Sarma 34.00

07. Baba:Satya Sai Part I             Ra. Ganapati 25.00

08. Baba:Satya Sai Part II                Ra. Ganapati          50.00

09. Balvikas Bhajan Book                                        100.00

10. Before The Curtain Raises             Loma E. Harding       60.00

11. Beloved Friend                        Little Heart          40.00

12. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
My Divine Teacher                         Curth Orefjaerd       95.00

13. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
The Mission And The Message               J.Jegathesan          60.00

14. Bhakthi And Health                    Dr. Charanjith Ghooi 51.00

15. Baba - The Super Human                A.B. Sarma            34.00

16. S.S.S.B. E Patal Bhuvaneshwar (Italian)  G.K. Kai-navar     360.00

17. Children's Baba                       R. M. Vishwamitra     10.00

18. Divine Glory                          V.Balu                60.00

19. Dramatic Moments With Human Values    Suresh Govind         80.00

20. Education in Human Values Teacher's Hand Book               125.00

21. Everyday Human Values                 J.Jagadeesan          180.00

22. From Where Did You Come?              Charles P. Difazio    125.00

23. Face to Face With God                 V. I.K.Sarin          120.00

24. Facets of Sai - An Anthology Reflecting
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25. Foot Prints at Shirdi &Puttaparthi    G.R.Sholapurkar       60.00

26. Fragrance                             B.G.Pitre             30.00

27. Glimpses of Divinity                  RMohanRai             75.00

28. God Lives in India                    R.K.Karanjia          25.00

29. Holy Mission Divine Vision            Sai Usha              25.00

30. Human Values And Education            S.P.Ruhela            40.00

31. Immortal Quotations of Bhagavan S.S.B.  S.P.Ruhela          60.00

32. In Defence of Jesus Christ
& Other Avatars                           Vinayak Krishna Gokak 30.00

33. In Search of Sai Divine               S.P.Ruhela            100.00

34. Island of Divinity Sri Sathya Sai Baba,
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35. Jaya Sai Sankara                      Lakshmi Ramanan       35.00

36. Look Inside You - Meditation on the Light                   120.00

3 7. Love of Sai                          P.P.Arya              30.00

38. Living Divinity                       Shakuntala Balu       60.00

39. My Divine Sai                         Kiran Kapur           100.00

40. Mantras & Slokas                                            35.00

41. Meditation The Light Within           J.Jagadeesan          25.00

42. Miracles Are My Visiting Cards        Eriendur Haraldsson   180.00

43. Miracles of Mankind's Great Saviour
Zoroaster to Satya Sai                    M.N.Das               75.00

44. My Garland For You                                          60.00

45. My Loving Son Sathya Sai              Sai Ma Sakunthala     50.00

46. Nine Gems of Love                     Little Heart          40.00

47. On Christ and Christianity            J.Jagadeesan          20.00

48. Our God And Your Mind                 Dr. M.N. Rao          1 10.00

49. Our Sai Beyond Miracles               Jaishree D.Menon      60.00

50. Reawakening The Spirit In Work :
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51. Sai Baba - The Rose Fire of Heaven    Krishna Nandan Sinha 85.00

52. Sai Baba Avatar                       Howard Murphet        48.00

53. Sai Baba Invitation to Glory          Howard Murphet        45.00

54. The Fourth Dimension                  J.Jagadeesan          260.00

55. Sai Baba Man of Miracles              Howard Murphet        55.00

56. Sai Baba The Source of Light,         Kailash Kumar
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57. Sai Baba and His Message              S.P. Ruhela           35.00

58. Sai Baba on Human Values And Education  S.P. Ruhela         40.00

59. Sai Consciousness                     Jaishree D.Menon      75.00

60.SaiGayathri                            Devdas Baboo Menon 120.00

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62. Sai Realization                       Jaishree D.Menon      60.00

63. Sai Service & You                     R.T. Sundaram         150.00

64. Sai System of Education and World Crisis  S.P.Ruhela        95.00

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66. Sathya Sai Baba The Embodiment of Love  Peggy Mason
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the Universal Reality of Mankind          Mata Betty            170.00

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70. Sathya Sai Bal Vikas Lesson Plan - Group-1 Year-3           160.00

71. Satvik Stories Vol-l                  Benjamin Kurzweil     30.00

72. Service & Spirituality                                      150.00

73. Shirdi To Puttaparthi                 Dr. Ram Kakade        40.00

74. Shri Sathya Sai : The Yugavatara      S.D.Kulkami           45.00

75. S.S.Sai: The Fount ofVedic Culture    S.D.Kulkami           35.00

76. Songs of Sai Kingdom Sai Power & Glory  Sumangala Neelakantan 120.00

77. S.S.S.B. & The Future of Mankind      S.P. Ruhela           45.00

78. S.S.S.B. : The Man & The Avatar       V.K.Gokak             60.00

79. Sri Sathya Sai Baba His Life & Divine Role S.P.Ruhela       45.00

80. S.S.S.B. - A Story of God As Man      Dr. M.N. Rao          40.00

81. Sri SathyaSai as Kaiki Avatar        S.P.Ruhela             90.00

82. Sri Satya Sai Satya Charita          0m Das Raghu           20.00

83. Study Circle-Some Suggested Topics   J. Jegadeesan          35.00

84. Sai Baba: My Beloved Mother          Jayanthi Kumari        90.00

85. Sri Sathya Sai - A Ray from the Supreme Krishna Nandan Sinha  120.00

86. The Life & Message of the Buddha     J. Jegadeesan          20.00

87. Tablets of Truth                     Andrew Shaw            90.00

88. The Educational Theory Of S.S.S.B.   S.P.Ruhela             45.00

89. The Eternal Ocean of Brahma          Hema Myer Sood         60.00

90. The Glory ofPuttaparthi              V. Balu                95.00

91. The Husband Memorandam               J.Jagadeesan           20.00

92. The Lord And His Devotee Are One     PoojaKapahi            180.00

93. The Miracle Man Sri Satya Sai Baba   B.K.Chaturvedi         25.00

94. The Omni All Bhagavan S.S.S.B.       Kharidahal Venkata Rao 25.00

95. The Philosophy of S.S.S.B. of Puttaparthy SarvajitSingh     276.00

96. The Pilgrimage                       M.L.Kaul               25.00

97. The Sai Incarnation                  SudhaAditya            25.00

98. The Sai Path to Immortality
The Way of Life                          AmalaChaudhuri         50.00

99. The Sai Trinity                      S.P.Ruhela             40.00

100.The Way Divine                      Sangeeta&Kavita        40.00

101.The Wife Memorandum                  J.Jagadesan            25.00

102.The Yoga of service. According to Baba  P.P.S. Sarma        20.00

103.Trinkets of Love                     SmitaSrivastava        15.00

104. The Touch of Baba II                 Joyce Darlene Barki    120.00

105. Unique Graciousness                  Little Heart           66.00

106. When God Walks The Earth Vol I      Jack Shemesh           108.00

107. When God Walks The Earth Vol 2      Jack Shemesh           108.00

108. WhenSaiLiveslnUsVol.l                Jack Shemesh           90.00

109. Where The Road Ends                  Howard Murphet         71.00

11O. Where to Find What in the Sai Literature                   900.00

111. Words of Truth                       Andrew Shaw            65.00

112. Devotees' Experiences                H.H.Narasimhaswami     45.00

113. God Who Walked On Earth             Rangaswami Parthasarathy95.00

114. My Life With Sri Shirdi S.B. Memories
of Shivamma Thayee                       S.P. Ruhela            60.00

115. Pictorial Sai Baba                                         10.00

116. Sai Baba : The Saint of Shirdi     Mani Sahukar           25.00

117. Sai Baba Of Shirdi Unique Saint     M.V.Kamath &V.B.Kher 120.00

118. Sai Baba The Master                 AcharyaE.Bharadwaj     90.00

119. Saint Shah Waris Ali and Sai Baba   B K Narayan            50.00

120. Shirdi Diary                                                15.00

121. Shirdi Sai Baba                     BasavarajGunaki        125.00

122. Shri Sai Satcharita                    NageshVasudevGunakai 60.00

123.Shri Sai The Superman                Swami Sai Sharan Anand 15.00

124.Sri Sai Babas Charters & Sayings     H.H.Narasimhaswami     40.00

125. Sri Shirdi Sai Baba -The Universal Master S.P. Ruhela       60.00

126. Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Avatar           S.P. Ruhela            15.00

127. The Incredible Sai Baba              Arthur Osbome          60.00

128. The Life and Teachings of S.B. of Shirdi Antonio Rigopoulos  270.00

129. What Researchers Say On S. Shridi S.B. S.P.Ruhela           80.00

130. Worship of the Manifested
Shri Sadguni Sainath                     Zarime                 60.00


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